Wither
by badandbhuti
Summary: /ˈwɪðə/ verb 1. fall into decay or decline. "it is not true that old myths either die or wither away"
1. Death I

I do not own Naruto.

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Wither

* * *

" _A bridge of silver wings stretches from the dead ashes of an unforgiving nightmare to the jewelled vision of a life started anew." -_ Aberjhani

* * *

 _War._

It was something he had only managed to elude for brief periods throughout his lifetime. Sure, there had been periods of mutual peace, but it's foundations had been built on countless corpses and rivers of blood. He had, _with all that was in him,_ tried to keep that peace for his people.

Amazing how that turned out.

Regardless, he would not go back on his solid principles - rather, he _couldn't_.

No matter how much he wanted to, he was powerless this time. His last battle, nearly two decades ago, had left him a former shell of himself. He couldn't blame anyone other than himself for his own incompetence at surviving with minimal injuries, but considering the force he had faced, he was outrageously lucky - something he had never believed in before - at surviving with his life.

Laying on his bed, he meditated on the information he had recently received, courtesy of his wife.

The Second Shinobi War has been ongoing for nearly two years. It had been merely less than two decades since the First Shinobi World War, which had ended with Konoha being the pyrrhic victor. Already, there'd been stories about various shinobi and villages throughout the common folk.

Konoha under the leadership of the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had adopted a strategy of divide and conquer, with forces situated at every shinobi nation that threatened them - which clearly were Iwagakure led by the Sandaime Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, Sunagakure led by the Sandaime Kazekage and Amegakure led by their village leader, Sanshōuo no Hanzō.

At the moment, Iwagakure was facing challenges from the efforts of Uchiha Kagami and his forces consisting mainly of powerful ninjutsu and close-combatants from both Uchiha and Senju clans. Sunagakure was pushing forward despite Shimura Danzō and a few dozens of highly trained ANBU and Jōnin retaliating with guerrilla tactics such as attacking supply lines and a few valuable dams which were very resourceful and of paramount importance to the Kaze no Kuni. Alas, the shinobi of Suna knew their territory well.

Amegakure on the other hand pushing back with Sanshōuo no Hanzō at the lead. The man had singlehandedly defeated an entire force of Konoha shinobi and only spared three - three of whom turned out to be the Sandaime Hokage's students. They had rightfully earned the title of _Densetsu no Sannin._

Surprisingly, Kumogakure and Kirigakure hadn't acted outwardly in this war but the former was amassing forces within its territory. Kirigakure has been closed off since the untimely death of their Nidaime Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, during his duel with the Nidaime Tsuchikage, Mū a few years before the war.

Hearing some movement coming from outside his room, his acute senses identified who it was before they even arrived there, and despite all this, he didn't bring his guard up.

There was a click and a squeak that followed the opening door. From his position, he could see the person peaking in from the door, causing a small smile to adorn his pale face.

"Tou-chan!" Shouted out a very young voice which was followed by hastened shuffling after a mop of blonde hair peaked out from the corner of the doorframe.

Glancing at the figure, the man smiled at his son. The boy had a shocking bright blonde for his hair and startlingly intelligent blue eyes - the boy looked much like himself, only brighter. With the distinguishing features aside, the boy had a goofy smile on his face.

"Minato, what have I said about shouting?" His humour reflected in his eyes as he watched the boy in front of him dramatically recite a rule he had given him, while rolling his eyes.

"But Tou-chan, I'm-" Minato said as he held out his open hand and another hand with four fingers in front of his father. "- I'm nine years old now, so I don't need rules." The blonde boy concluded by crossing his arms, causing the man to smile more.

"But your brother is older than you and yet he follows my rules, does he not?" He stated amusedly. Minato's lips parted slightly before he lowered his head in resignation.

"He's not that much olde-" Minato started but was interrupted when his father suddenly started coughing harshly causing his weak body to shake uncontrollably. Seeing his father's state, Minato ran out of the room and called to the rest of his family.

"Kaa-chan, Aniki!" A few moments later, there was a hurried thumping on the wooden floors of the hallway outside his room. A blonde haired woman ran to his side and she was quickly followed by their two sons.

"Tobirama..." The woman said in a soothing and sad tone - it hurt him. He was the one who had promised to care for her, not the other way around.

Senju Tobirama had failed dismally at that.

Ever since he faced the Kinkaku Force during the Second Shinobi War in order to protect his students, he had been gravely wounded. During the battle with Kinkaku, he had not only lost an arm but his chakra stream had been affected due to the poisonous composition of the Kyūbi's chakra. Despite his near defeat, he had managed to barely escape with his life to the only person he trusted with everything.

Namikaze Shihō.

With his defeat imminent within the Kaminari no Kuni and Hi no Kuni territories at the hands of Kinkaku, with the last of his chakra, he had teleported himself to his wife. The Namikaze clan had always been affiliated with his, the Senju, although they had respectfully denied joining Konohagakure no Sato. Understandable really, they were some of the finest mercenaries the world had ever known. But their number had dwindled down over the past decade, even before, due to the First Shinobi War.

During his recovery, he had discovered that he had also become something akin to a pseudo-jinchuriki. With her expertise at fūinjutsu, Shihō had sealed the chakra to extend his life. Selfish as it may have been, he couldn't be more grateful.

Looking up to his wife as she placed a warm glowing hand on his chest, he couldn't help but admire her. She was beautiful, very much so. His brother, Hashirama, had been one of the two people to have ever known about her, and even he had been stunned by her beauty. Her stunning golden locks swayed ever so smoothly as she moved, her brows creasing into a frown couldn't stop the raw emotion that glowed in her blue sapphire eyes. He noticed that she was speaking, becoming frantic by the moment, and that's when he realised it.

Death was calling to him.

Glancing over to the side, he could see Minato joining in on his mother's efforts of trying to keep him aware of his surroundings. He could see the tears flowing down his son's face as he tried desperately to keep him awake. It was a hopeless effort, unfortunately. Then he turned to the face the last person in the room.

Tobirama, despite being himself, was capable of loving others. Much like how he had loved his brothers, his people and his family, his love for his eldest son was insurmountable. He saw a lot of himself in the boy - his cunning, his strong will and his potential. The boy, despite being a young age of nine, could very well be the strongest of that age he had ever seen - even in comparison to his Hiruzen, who was as gifted as they come - his brother too, who is gifted. They reminded him of a powerful pair he once knew.

Staring up the boy, he smiled warmly despite the fixed look in his son's stormy eyes. It was a look of loss and pain, something he wished his son would never see again. Beckoning his son to move forward, he placed a hand on the boy's white hair - one which he had adopted from him.

"Naruto." Tobirama had named him that after the ancient story of the tempestuous god of the sea and storms.

He with the ability to help by all means.

"Tou-san, I don't know what I will be without you." Naruto started sombrely. His stormy eyes, as his namesake, were shedding tears of the element his father was known for manipulating to the finest degree. "Is there no...no other way?" He choked out as tears freely fell from his eyes. Tobirama shook his head slightly before giving his answer.

"Do you remember the origin of your name, Naruto?" He watched as his son nodded. "Keep it in your heart. The world is at war, unfortunately. The peace my brother strived for was only temporary. I know of your dream, and you do have the ability to help accomplish it." Tobirama paused for a moment to glance at his wife, to which she responded to with a hesitant nod. "You must go to Konoha, along with your mother and brother."

Naruto looked up after his father spoke. Konoha was the home of his father, and his mother had spoken highly of it too. He had always dreamed of going there to meet the rest of his family, the Senju clan. Amidst all his thoughts, he was harshly brought back to reality.

Tobirama's coughs returned twice as harsh to the point of him coughing out blood. He was laid back by Shihō, who had increased the chakra output on her healing hand.

"I fear my time has come, love." Tobirama said weakly while staring up to his wife. Even in her pain, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes upon. "Go with them to Konoha, Hiruzen knows. My family will take care of you."

Shihō glanced at her husband whose life was quickly fading away. She nodded weakly with tears streaming down her face.

"I will, I promise." She choked out while grasping his only hand. Tobirama smiled softly as he stared at his family for the last time.

"I will always love you..." He said with finality, his voice becoming weaker by each word. As his eyes were closing, he saw a flicker of red in a pair of stormy greys and two pairs of startling blues.

' _I suppose our brothers were right in the end, Izuna.'_ He thought with a warm smile as he remembered his old friend.

Then, in the quiet lands of Yu no Kuni, Senju Tobirama passed on at the age of fifty-five.

* * *

"No!"

The pained scream was enough to startle everyone in the vicinity to freeze. The sight of the battlefield becoming more gruelling and cold by the second.

Ever since his father's passing several months back, he and the few handful remaining of their clan had journeyed from Yugakure no Sato, heading to Konohagakure no Sato. Amidst their journey, they had begun to be pursued by a strong group of shinobi.

The bloody _oi-nin_ of Kirigakure no Sato.

Kirigakure had joined the war by forming an alliance with Iwagakure and Kumogakure to destroy Uzushiogakure. It had taken that alliance three days to decimate the home of his distant cousins, with the survivors scattering all over the world as free men or slaves.

Their group, being led by his mother, had managed to manoeuvre around the battlefields safely. Needless to say, with those few they had come across, had made him loathe war even more. Sometime later, they had attracted the attention of Kiri and they were being hunted down. All under the assumption that they were Uzu survivors, which they had discovered with a heavy price.

Still on his knees, having screamed out to the heavens, Naruto stared frozenly as the Kiri Hunter Nin pulled out his blade from a chest.

His _mother's_ chest.

The dull blue eyes that stared back at him would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Well, well, it seems they really aren't Uzumaki." Said a tall masked man of the hunter corps who seemed to be the leader of this group. He picked up and tossed Shihō's lifeless corpse to the remaining four children. "Kill them all." He said offhandedly, turning to the rest of his group. He was surprised to his team frozen at the something behind him. Turning around, his mask hid his shock at what he was witnessing.

The pale boy's usually blue pigmentation underneath his eyes and blue eyes had turned a dark menacing red. Lightning, originating from the blade in his hand, had begun dancing around his body. The blonde haired boy's eyes had also turned into a menacing red and was holding a tri-pronged kunai that seemed too inappropriate for one his stature.

Naruto glanced at his brother who was standing by his side. Somewhere in his mind, he remembered his father's words.

" _Two brothers born of war, standing side by side, Hashirama and Madara were gods. Creation and Destruction in sync, they were a force unstoppable. With a word, they laid waste to thousands of armies."_

" _What were those words?"_

Naruto watched as his brother closed his eyes, a light pigmentation appearing around his eyes, and clasped his hands in a snake seal. His lips tilted grimly, it was time. He began his own sequence and held a tiger seal.

" _ **Mokutōn Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan!"**_ Minato shouted out, pouring as much chakra into the jutsu, making it surround and capture their dozen enemies.

Flaming orbs started appearing around Naruto, manoeuvring around him before they began forming a large orb of fire in front of both boys. The stunned and captured hunters screamed out in fear as the orb neared.

" _ **Shakutōn: Shōkyaku!"**_ Naruto shouted out as the orb of flames started burning the newly created forest, burning everything including the scalding hunters.

It was time for the world to meet their new gods of creation and destruction.

" _Wither."_

* * *

 **Mokutōn Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan - Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees:** A-rank, Offensive-Defensive-Supplementary; A technique developed by Hashirama Senju, where the user forces trees to grow on any surface, easily creating a dense forest anywhere they choose. A small plant can grow into a forest in an instant. By generating chakra, the user manoeuvres it as they see fit for attack and defence; and furthermore, this immensely powerful technique even allows them to capture the enemy at the same time. With their tremendous life force, the trees can pierce through earthen walls, and extend their branches at their prey in an instant. Even stating that Konohagakure wouldn't have been established without this technique wouldn't be an exaggeration.

 **Shakutōn: Shōkyaku - Scorch Release: Incinerating Flare:** A-rank, Offensive; The user combines several of their flaming orbs to create a single massive one, which then violently explodes with enough force and power to incinerate a large area around it. When this happens, steam can be seen emitting from the area.


	2. Prospect I

I do not own Naruto.

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Wither

" _Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you." –_ John Green.

* * *

The sound of dry leaves being scattered by the wind was rich in the silent valley which they were camping in. The transient sparkles of the moonlight and the accompanying stars made reflected no light on him as his body was enshrouded by darkness. Quietly, laying against the bark, Minato looked up to the light, hoping it would show him the right path to follow.

He was no stranger to death, his own affiliation with the Namikaze clan had made certain of that. Although, their absence was felt, even those experiences passed. But now, he doubted if this case would pass. It was no secret that he was more attached to his mother than his brother was, and even though both of them loved her dearly, his brother was more attached to their father. It was standard of humans, after all.

When his father had been laid to rest months ago, his brother had become more secluded than he usually was – more withdrawn, in a sense. He had never understood why, but now he did. The pain of losing the person you looked up to the most was unbearable. Minato, as a young and impressionable child, had been drawn to developing character rather than gaining strength – not that he slacked with his training, far from it. His mother was, and would always be, the kindest person he had ever known. Her love for her family and clan had inspired him to follow her steps accurately and become the person he was today.

Light.

It amazed him how his mother would describe the concepts of Yin and Yang during their lessons.

* * *

 _Sitting under a the shade of a blossoming Sakura tree, one of the three people – the woman sitting amidst two boys – turned to each boy, seemingly awaiting a response._

" _May you repeat the question, Kaa-san?" Asked the pale haired boy sitting to her left. His eyes were narrowed slightly, causing the markings around his eyes to widen._

 _Chuckling softly to herself, the blonde haired woman repeated her question. "What is Yin and Yang?"_

 _Glancing to her right, the blonde haired boy was hesitantly scratching the back of his head – a sign of confusion. The white haired boy on her right turned to the blonde boy, gaining a smirk at the other's reaction._

" _We don't know, Kaa-chan." The blonde boy said. Their mother, sighing softly, motioned for the boys to scoot closer so that they could read along from the book._

" _Yin and Yang are the basis of chakra. Yin represents darkness and mind, the spiritual aspects of chakra. Yang represents the opposite, light and body, the physical aspects of chakra. With both of those concepts combined, one can utilise chakra to its fullest potential." Shihō said, smiling when realisation dawned on the two boys. "Although, there are some jutsu can solely be either Yin or Yang based. For example, the mind techniques of the Yamanaka clan being Yin-oriented, or the expansion techniques of the Akimichi clan being Yang-oriented. Most people are inherently born affiliated with one or the other, there are a few cases where some have been born with total balance between those two."_

" _The Rikudō Sennin?" Naruto asked inquisitively. His grey eyes were set on his mother's blues as if to search for any lies – it made her mother smile._

" _I see you're taking your lessons with your father very serious." Shihō received a small smile in return. "Yes, the Rikudō Sennin was one of those to gain total balance between boy the Yin and Yang natures. With that balance, he created the nine Bijū."_

" _Why did he create such beings of pure destruction?" Minato asked worriedly. He'd heard tales of how those beasts had been enslaved by his uncle and shared with the nations for balance and a temporary peace, until those same nations began sealing the Bijū into humans as tools for war._

 _Jinchuriki. How much he loathed that word._

" _No one knows – or rather, no one is old enough to have lived through that era. It's been at least a thousand years since their creation, and only recently have humans found a way to protect themselves from them – an abominable way regardless." Shihō's eyes darkened slightly before regaining their glow. With a small chuckle, a mischievous glint came to her eyes. "You know, you two have certain characteristics of people imposed to a certain aspect of chakra. I think I've heard the village girls saying that you, Naruto, is "cold and mysterious" while Minato is "kind and outgoing"." Watching her two sons, they reacted in the exact manner she expected to._

 _Naruto, despite hearing what his mother had just revealed, seemed unfazed, turning to the book rather to read more. Minato on the other hand began laughing and pointed a finger toward his brother._

" _Oh man…" He said wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye. With a gleam in his eyes, he grabbed his brothers shoulder excitedly. "Don't worry, Nii-san, I'll be your Yang while you be my Yin. Forever?" Minato held out a fist with a grin on his lips._

 _Shihō watched on as her son's interacted. She knew. From what her father and her husband had told her, they had spoken nothing but the inexplicable truth._

" _Forever." Naruto responsed as he bumped fists with his brother, a smirk playing on his lips._

* * *

Thinking about his brother made him smile. He was doing the best he could for the remainder of their clan. Currently, with a squad of _Kage Bunshin_ , his brother had gone out to secure their way to Konohagakure no Sato, while he stayed to look after his cousins. Despite them having lost their mother less than two days ago, Naruto had maintained a strong façade.

Unfortunately, Minato knew him.

His brother was dealing with the pain in his own way, and destroying their enemies was the way. Even from this far away, Minato's senses were attracted to his brother's chakra like a literal moth to a flame – because his brother's chakra was just that.

A scorching flame amidst a raging storm.

Numbing his senses so as not to be blinded by his brother's chakra, he calmly looked up to the moon – and in a moment of oddity – compared his brother to an old tale.

The Tale of Amaterasu and Susanō.

* * *

The sight of scorched earth and the sound of heavy panting was prevalent in this field of the death. A figure fell to one knee, dirtying his already torn pants in the process. He stared at the result of his technique, a pile of half corpses and ashes.

 _Death by fire is the purest form, after all._

The village insignia on the closest corpse's hitai-ate depicted two clouds, and suddenly, he felt his sense of justice strengthening. This Village had played a part in the destruction of Uzushiogakure. Naruto stood up in the field of Kumogakure corpses before leaping to the treetops, having regained his strength. Jumping along at a moderate speed, he began thinking over the past two days.

His mother, and other clan members, had been murdered during their journey to Konoha. Currently, of the twenty that had left Take no Mura – seven being battle ready and thirteen being the children, including his brother and himself – only four remained, his cousins Kagerō and Akira, Minato and himself.

Naruto had taken over leadership in order to get his remaining family to Konoha before another tragedy happened. His plan was to destroy all enemy forces in their way while Minato and the others hid in a secure area. Ever since their battle with the Kiri Hunter group, Minato had been weakened considerably due to his untrained usage of his kekkei genkai. Naruto had taken the liberty of doing the work while his brother recovered. Merely thinking about that battle angered him more.

Immediately after their battle, they had been forced to flee because they had sensed yet another group of oi-nin approaching the battlefield – their combined jutsu must have attracted them. They'd found a cave several miles off, and hid off deep within it. Minato, having exerted more chakra than usual, had fallen unconscious for some hours. The following day, they had implemented their plan, and so far, they were only two weeks away from Konoha's borders.

As he kept leaping off the branches, he clearly remembered the promise he had made with his brother.

 _Kiri shall wither._

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen was not having a good day. But then, a good day during a time of war was unknown.

He had received news earlier that Konoha's outpost near Takigakure had been destroyed by Iwa shinobi, amongst them being the Yōnbi jinchuriki. Hundreds of shinobi, including their commander, his old friend Uchiha Kagami, had been killed during that battle. Hence he had called in the War Council, it was time Konoha retaliated.

"What is the matter, Hiruzen?" A middle-aged looking scarred man asked immediately after sitting down.

"Danzō, he is our leader, show him the respect he deserves." A middle-aged dark haired woman reprimanded the scarred man.

Hiruzen simply watched his old friends bicker with sadness in his eyes – Kagami had been their friend too. Other members of the council entered, one, a dark haired man with a ponytail, and the other in his company, a man with slick platinum blonde hair. The ANBU commander flickered into the room while a young white haired man walked into the room.

This was Konoha's War Council.

Clearing his throat had an immediate effect in the room. The shinobi stood straight and attentively as their commander spoke.

"I have received grave intel." Hiruzen started. "Our outpost in the city of Hideyoshi between the borders of Hi no Kuni and the unnamed lands of Takigakure no Sato, has been destroyed along with the city by Iwagakure's _Bakuha Buntai_ and the Gobi Jinchuriki." A tense silence spread through the room. "The commander of that post, Uchiha Kagami, and hundreds of shinobi lost their lives, with only a few being spared. Their loss, although, was not in vain. They managed to cripple the Explosive Corps' finest by two-thirds."

"That would cripple Iwagakure for at least a decade before that bloody unit is revived." Danzō's sharp voice cut through the silence. "Although, I weep for Konoha. We have lost a fine shinobi and great commander." He concluded while lowering his head.

Hiruzen understood what he was doing. Despite having lost an old friend, Danzō was already setting up the table with a way to capitalise from this blow to Konoha. Cold as it was, it's effects were powerful.

"Hokage-sama." Nara Shikatsu motioned for permission to speak. "Now is the time to capitalise. While they are still celebrating, me should march a force strong enough to destroy their border base in the city Shinhidaka."

Murmurs immediately broke out in the room. It was a known fact that the Iwa's second-largest army Iwa was based in Shinhidaka, while the largest was based in Iwagakure itself. Striking this base was dangerous, but if victorious, it would strike a large blow that could possibly end the war. And they needed the finest men for this job.

Raising his hand, the murmurs stopped and all the attention was turned back to him. "I will personally lead the siege of Shinhidaka with my students and four hundred of Konoha's strongest." Hiruzen stated firmly.

The hesitant glances of those within the room were quite understandable. The city of Shinhidaka was a thousand and five hundred strong, a majority of them being of Jōnin and Chūnin rank.

"We cannot lose you too in this war, Hiruzen." Danzō's fierce gaze set on the Hokage. "I will supply fifty of my finest shinobi from _Ne_ to fight alongside you in this battle."

"Very well." Hiruzen nodded his consent. The other members nodded in agreement – _Ne_ was a competent force. "How goes Sunagakure?" Hiruzen started.

They would mourn their losses after the war.

* * *

When they had arrived at Konoha's borders, they received the welcoming he had been expecting. It was a time of war, so it was to be expected. They had been surrounded by several masked and armed ANBU, with the bear-masked one leading them.

"Halt!" He commanded, his imposing figure causing Namikaze and his family to look on fearfully. "State your purpose with Konoha."

Steeling himself, Naruto stepped forward and stood before the man who was nearly three feet taller than him.

"We seek audience with Hokage-sama." Naruto's firm gaze was set on the leader. "We are the surviving members of the Namikaze clan."

The leader, despite not reacting outwardly, had been surprised. The Namikaze clan had been closely tied with the Senju clan for generations, some even intermarrying to forge a stronger bond.

Their parents had done the same.

"Very well." The bear-masked leader decided. Despite being the leader of his strong force, he was not heartless. From what he could see, these children had suffered quite a bit to reach this far. If they turned to be spies, he would kill them himself. "You arrived in time, too. Hokage-sama is slated to leave tomorrow at dawn."

Turning around and commanding four of his team to carry the exhausted children, the other three agreed while their apparent leader did not. The boy intrigued him and it did not help that he seemed a slightly familiar.

"What is your name, boy?" The bear-masked leader asked. Within moments, they had taken to the trees and that was when he responded.

"Naruto."

* * *

A firm patterned knock came from his door, interrupting his work. It was a ANBU code, he remembered.

 _Refuge._

In times of war, many who had survived the assaults on their towns or villages had fled to the Capital or to the safest place in Hi no Kuni, which was Konoha. It was becoming increasingly difficult during this war to accept refugees due to the minimal supplies they received since they were nearing winter. But hopefully, with his efforts and that of his elite battalion, they would end the war in within a month. Returning to reality, he cleared his throat before speaking – he was doing much of that lately.

"Enter."

The double doors of his War Council room were swung open and several people walked in. Firstly, he recognised the members of Team Ro. This team had become one of the strongest in the ANBU forces, their captain being the second-in-command of the entire force. Then, he noticed them carrying three children and one, from what he could see, walked in with the captain.

"Hokage-sama." The captain said as he knelt in front of his leader. "We found these four children in the northeastern borders claiming to be the survivors of the Namikaze clan."

Hiruzen, for his credit, merely stared at the captain contemplatively before turning to the white haired boy. The boy looked very familiar but he could not be sure. Returning his gaze to his third, he spoke.

"Leave us."

The captain being a dutiful shinobi, immediately turned to his team, who had let the down the children stand on their own, before signalling at them to vacate the room, each disappearing in a shroud of leaves. Hiruzen reached out to his drawer and pulled out a smoking pipe. While filling it with tobacco, he studied the children in front of him.

The one at the lead had features, which alone were enough to make him stand out from his supposed relatives. He had spiky silver-white hair, much like his own student Jiraiya. His skin was fair, although slightly pale, reminiscent of many Uchiha. The most outstanding feature on the boy's face were his grey eyes and red markings around his eyes, upturned at the corner.

Beside the white haired boy, stood a blonde haired boy, who looked exactly like him, sans the red markings around his eyes. His skin was slightly tanned and he had startling blue eyes – much like the other two children. All three had the genetic features of the Namikaze clan.

The last two, a younger boy and an even younger girl, stood beside the white haired boy. Those two seemed to be direct siblings, much like the other two, but had platinum blonde hair and blue eyes. The rags on the four children clearly explained the woes they had endured to arrive here.

"What are your names?" Hiruzen asked before snapping his fingers and bringing the smoking pipe to his lips.

"Namikaze Naruto." The white haired boy said.

"Namikaze Minato." The blonde one replied.

"I'm Namikaze Kagerō, and this is my little sister, Akira." Said the younger blonde haired boy, the little girl nodding in agreement.

"What is your reason of coming here?" Hiruzen asked. It was quite clear, though. The Namikaze were safest by their cousins-by-marriage side. Although, that may not be the case here.

"My father sent us here, _Saru._ " Naruto responded lightly.

Hiruzen frozen when he heard that name. There had been only three people to call him by that name; one of them was surely dead, while the other had been missing for nearly two decades.

"Tobirama-sama…" Hiruzen started quietly. "Impossible. He died protecting us from the Kinkaku Force." Fiercely disagreeing with this new information. His sensei wouldn't leave them on their own.

"He survived, Hokage-sama." Minato spoke sombrely. "He was barely alive when he returned to mother. He had been gravely wounded and poisoned, so much so that he spent his last years in a bed." He concluded, lowering his head.

Hiruzen seemed to be at a loss for words too. Senju Tobirama had seemed unflappable, untouchable. This made him more human, much like Hashirama had when he succumbed to his wounds during battle.

"He once told me that you, besides his brother, his wife and our mother, were the only people he fully trusted." Naruto reached to his pouch and pulled out a scabbard. Holding it up in front of him, he poured chakra into it.

" _Raijin no Ken._ " Hiruzen muttered. It had been nearly two decades since he last saw this weapon. It seemed to have been reforged into a two and a half foot long chokuto. "You really are who you claim to be. What of your mother?"

Hiruzen almost regretted his question but it provided an intriguing discovery. He watched in wonder as both twin brothers' eyes flicker a bloody red for a moment before returning to their original colours.

"We've dealt with their killers." Kagerō pitched in. Her aunt Shihō had become sort of a mother to them after their parent's passing during the early years of the Second Shinobi World War. He knew how his older cousins felt.

"Very well." Hiruzen grabbed his smoking pipe and emptied the ashes into a small ash bowl. "As the new heirs of the Senju clan, you must be formally welcomed by the council."

"Heirs? What about Tsunade and Nawaki?" Naruto watched unflinchingly as the Hokage lowered his head in sadness. Glancing to his left, he saw his brother lower his head as well.

"Senju Nawaki was recently killed in a bombing orchestrated by Iwa's _Bakuha Butai_ at our outpost in near Takigakure no Sato along with my old friend, Uchiha Kagami and several hundred shinobi." Hiruzen stated grimly.

He wondered, was it because these children were his sensei's own that he felt compelled to show such emotion in their presence or the pain of losing yet another friend and a surrogate nephew?

"Take us with you." Minato started, surprising his older brother. "I'm tired of standing by while Iwagakure and Kirigakure carry on killing our family."

"I'm afraid I cannot." Hiruzen started. "Although you two seem to be competent shinobi, this army will consist of my most elite men. I intend to end the war within the month."

"We understand, Hokage-sama." Naruto, despite wanting to go wreck carnage on Iwa forces, he worried that his brother still hadn't recovered as well as their cousins – both physically and mentally, they had lost their mother yet again. "We have been through a lot these past months, all we need now is a place to rest."

Hiruzen stood up from his desk and headed to the group of children, and as he neared them, he offered them a smile.

"I know just the right person."

* * *

Echoes of shouting voices resonated within the large home. One, was of a young woman approximately in her late twenties, and the other, a male of the same age. The two voices seemed to be arguing until a third voice cut through.

"Be quiet!" Said a stern and old voice. "We have guests."

"But Mito-sama shouldn't-" The male voice was cut off before it could proceed.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that? We are family now, Dan." Mito stated calmly.

"Yes ma'am." Dan replied hesitantly.

"Baa-sama…" Said the voice of the younger woman. Hasty shuffling could be heard from the other side of the room.

"Well, welcome them in my dear." Mito said warmly to the young woman.

Standing on the other side of the door, in the estate's spacious hallway, Hiruzen and the group of Namikaze children seemed rather confused, or amused if Minato and Kagerō's smirks were anything to go by. They'd been standing there for quite some minutes. Turning to the older man, Naruto asked a question that had been bothering him since they arrived.

"Are they always like this?" Hiruzen smiled amusedly, letting Naruto figure out the rest. The boy seemed reclusive, and unfortunately for him, the rest of his family was not.

A click resounded in the hallway as the door they'd been standing in front of was swung open. Staring at them from the other side was a young blonde haired woman with haze eyes and clothed in dark blue. In his short years of existence, Naruto had seen a few women whom he could compare to being as beautiful as his mother. This was one of them.

"Sarutobi-sensei, what do you want now? I hope you aren't trying anything with my grandmother…" The woman narrowed her eyes at the older man who, surprisingly, took a step back before raising his hands placatingly.

"Nonsense, Tsunade. You know very well that I'm a happily married man." Hiruzen said while trying to calm his student's rising ire. Tsunade, on the other hand, only narrowed her eyes more.

"If you say so…" Then, she turned and eyed each of the four children, her eyes widening slightly when she looked at Naruto. "Who are the brats?" She said eventually turning her curious gaze towards her sensei.

"That's what I'm here for, Tsunade. If I may?" Hiruzen motioned and Tsunade moved to the side, allowing them entry into the room.

Once they were inside, they were mesmerised by the strong, yet calming feeling of the room. The room itself seemed to be a green room of sorts, with flowers blooming on the vines that surrounded the room on the walls and ground. There was also a small koi pond around an island that had several tatami mats surrounding four tables. The roof had dotted holes that let the sunshine peak into the room, reflecting on the water to create an array of glistening colours. On that small island, there sat a red haired woman – whose hair was set in buns and had talismans hanging from both – who seemed to be in her late forties, and a young man with pale blue hair, garbed in dark casual clothing.

The blue haired man immediately stood up and bowed towards Hiruzen. "Hokage-sama." He stood back up with a smile on his face.

Hiruzen smiled and waved off the dutiful man. "Dan, it is always good to see you."

"The pleasure is always mine, Sarutobi-sama." Dan responded courteously. Hiruzen was one of the men he looked up to, so he deserved the respect.

"Now, now, Dan, you must learn to relax a little, even amongst your superiors." The red haired woman started in a light tone. "Back in the day, we Uzumaki even used to call our superiors by their first names and joke around with them. But then I suppose we were always the free-spirited bunch, much like the Senju, isn't that correct my dear?"

"Of course, Mito-baa-sama." Tsunade replied with a roll of her eyes. It seemed her grandmother was beginning to reminisce more lately – possibly becoming senile too.

"I'm afraid our young tempest here is much like Tobirama-kun, isn't that so Naruto-kun?" Mito exclaimed excitedly, causing Tsunade and Dan to turn to the children in surprise.

"Tou-san always said he wanted a clone of himself, Oba-san. I guess he succeeded." Naruto said with a smile on his face, his brother not being far behind him, as they approached their aunt.

"It's been a long time, Mito-oba." Minato said with a huge grin splitting his face. "I kind of expected to see grey hairs, though."

"Maybe another decade or two, my boy. I'm glad to see you two, yet again." Mito said as she stood up and embraced the two boys. She felt the two boys shake slightly in her embrace, making her smile sadly as she hugged them harder.

"Don't worry now, you're home."

* * *

 **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique:** B-rank, Supplementary; This jutsu allows the user to create one or more copies of themselves. The user's chakra is evenly divided between themselves and their clones: creating one clone will give it half the user's chakra, creating two clones will give each a third of the user's chakra, and so on. Depending on how much chakra the user has and how many clones they make, this rapid depletion of their reserves can be dangerous. Because of this, usually only those of at least jōnin-level can safely use the standard Shadow Clone Technique.


	3. Prospect II

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Wither

" _Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart." –_ Haruki Murakami

* * *

The creaking of the doors echoed into the spacious room as they were pushed open. Now, after dusk, the moonlight that shone through the numerous dotted holes which made the entirety of the ceiling, reflected on the small koi pond, creating a tranquil and mystical ambiance.

' _As usual.'_ She thought, her brown eyes setting on the very person she had come to speak to.

"Baa-sama?" Lightly, she stepped onto the wooden bridge leading to her grandmother, whose back was facing her – a position she seemed to find her in, lately. "I would have asked why you're still up, but you must have been expecting me."

Grabbing one tatami mat adjacent to a set of two opposing tables, she shuffled and set it beside her grandmother, sitting cross-legged, an imitation of her grandmother's perfect lotus.

"You know," A small smile adorning her lips. "Your grandfather built this… _sanctuary_ in memory of where he finally mastered Senjutsu during his youth." Mito's soft voice, like a breeze, enthralled Tsunade in its quiet yet calming beauty. "At some point, during his reign, he brought his old friend, Madara, and his brother, Tobirama, in hopes of passing on his knowledge of Senjutsu. Sadly – or rather fortunately – Madara believed that Senjutsu was Hashirama's own power, one that set him apart from most, much like his own Eien no Mangekyō Sharingan did. Your uncle, however, attempted as best as he could to learn the art. Sadly, it never really _suited_ him." Mito concluded, releasing a sigh of contentment.

Tsunade, despite her usual violent and bossy disposition, had always felt at peace beside her grandparents. On one instance, she remembered her grandfather showing her his most powerful form. The power that had radiated from him had been astounding, limitless and completely…breathtaking. In a strange sense of humour, she remembered her grandfather frantically teaching her how to breathe again after she had been overwhelmed by the form.

"I remember." She glanced to her right, where her grandmother was seated. "But I don't see how that's relevant to what I came here to find out, Baa-sama." Seeing the smile on her grandmother's lips stretch, she knew.

"Ever so straightforward, my dear." Clearing her throat softly, she continued. "The reason why I told you this, Tsuna, is because both those boys are truly your granduncle's sons."

"I kind of figured that much off their appearances, grandmother. Minato looks exactly like Shihō-oba, while his brother looks like a mini Tobirama-oji." A short bout of chuckles escaped the two as they remembered what the older twin had said earlier – Tobirama _had_ created the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_ with that in mind, after all. "But…how could that be? They look far too young to be seventeen – since seventeen years ago was when Oji-san got married. And…" Tsunade glanced to the side as she trailed off.

Her uncle's passing had weighed heavily on her, her clan, and the village at large. It hadn't been long since they had lost Hashirama earlier in the same war before his time came. It had forced her and her peers to grow faster under the new leadership of her sensei.

"And he survived."

Tsunade immediately whipped her head to face her grandmother. The slightly downcast look in Mito's eyes told her much she needed to know.

"How long ago did you meet them?" Her hands had tightened into fists, crumpling her comfortable cotton pants. "Couldn't _you_ have done something?" Tsunade's firm gaze rested on her grandmother, hoping.

That hope was broken by the mere shaking of a head.

"No." Mito started sombrely. "By the time I found out about his survival, he was already reaching the critical stages. He had suffered grave wounds from his battle with the Kinkaku Force, Tsunade, it's a miracle – a great one – that he survived."

Raising her hand, stretching it out, she channeled chakra into her arm. An intricate pattern began forming on her forearm. Several parallel lines opposing each other, with several dark circles in-between the lines, barring them from touching each other.

"What's that seal for, Baa-sama?" Tsunade, at the back of her mind, wished that her teammate, Jiraiya, was here to study this seal. He was becoming well versed in the art. "This is the first time I'm seeing it."

"Your uncle…" Hesitance. If one word could sum up her grandmother's sudden action, it would be hesitance. "He fought Kinkaku, one of the Gold and Silver Brothers, and was contaminated by his usage of the Kyūbi's chakra, shortening his lifespan by a large margin." Mito concluded quickly, yet sorrowfully.

Tsunade bristled.

She, under the tutelage of her grandmother, and even the tutelage of her sensei, knew how dangerous any form of Bijū chakra was to an average human being. The chakra was poisonous and acidic. It would burn away anything in its path, be it human or not.

"Shihō, during one of my trips to Uzushiogakure, managed to contact me. She told me that, despite the best she had tried, Tobirama was dying faster than she had anticipated. Of course, at the time, I hadn't known he was still alive." Pulling back her arm and snugly fixing her sleeves, she turned to Tsunade. "The chakra needed a safe outlet…"

"And you were the safest one since you are the Kyūbi's jinchuriki." Tsunade interjected worriedly. "And the boys?"

The worry Tsunade conveyed made Mito smile. The young woman was one who greatly cared for her family and her clan members. It was no wonder the title of 'Hime' had stuck on the people for so long – she truly was loved by them, their princess.

"They were not affected directly, so no. However, there wasn't much I could do for Tobirama-kun, his life had been shortened greatly."

Mito, in her many years as a skilled practitioner of Iryō Ninjutsu, had felt particularly helpless with her brother-in-law.

' _It's okay, sister. As long as I spend my final years with my family, that will be a far greater blessing.'_ Tobirama had said those words after she had fully extracted the remaining chakra, hence saving his life, for once.

A comfortable silence embraced the two occupants of the room as they mused on their different thoughts. This, just being with her granddaughter, was more than enough for Mito.

"Be careful, Tsunade." Mito warned, gazing at her granddaughter fully. "I have already lost Nawaki, I do not wish to lose you too."

Tsunade's soft smile turned to a frown, hardening her womanly features. A steely look appeared in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Baa-sama." The atmosphere around her grew a little dark, colder. "They will pay for what they did to my little brother."

Mito sighed sadly.

Even Hashirama's residue chakra couldn't quell the bitterness, pain and anger in their granddaughter's heart.

* * *

Weeks had passed since their arrival to Konoha. Shortly after their arrival, the Hokage, and his elite force had left for the city of Shinhidaka. From what they had heard from their aunt, this attack would decide the victor of the Konoha-Iwa war. With such a victory, they would be one step from ending this war.

Naruto and Minato casually walked to their destination with their aunt in tow. She had been deigned their sole guardian. And under Mito's guidance, the twins had been enrolled at the Shinobi Academy.

That learning facility had been created in hopes to offer people of all social classes the chance to become equal under one banner. Although, the goal of this facility, was to create a system akin to population. Due to the growing numbers of civilians during the First Shinobi War, the Shinobi Academy was created in hopes of losing more people rather than gain. With resources so scarce, many had to lose their lives for some to survive.

Naruto, when he had found out, was appalled by the concept. Yet, having seen the stage of Konoha over the past weeks, he couldn't blame his father for coming up with this.

That man had been a cold, logical and ruthless tactician.

As they approached the Academy, his brother walked by his side, hands behind his head as he chatted animatedly with their aunt. Mito, on the other hand, trailed behind them, her pace and step, one befitting of a regal – nobility, if you may. Everywhere they walked, they would receive friendly greetings and smiles from various people, even a few children had approached their aunt.

Finally, having arrived at the Academy, the boys stood in awe, gazing up at the large red building which had the kanji for 'Fire' as its emblem. The courts were surrounded by wooden walls of about eight feet in height – probably as a security measure to prevent spying. A soft sound of hands clapping twice caused them to turn to their aunt.

"Boys." Mito's eyes were closed, forming a 'U' smile – supposedly a smile. "I'd like you two to not cause any trouble while at school – especially you, Minato." An indignant shout came from the boy. "It's the beginning of the academy year, today, so you'll be joining in with a new batch of prospective students around your age."

Finally opening her eyes to see the boy's reactions, she was not disappointed when she saw Minato peeking through the gate, until he was nudged in the ribs by his brother, causing Naruto to smirk as Minato stumbled slightly. Hearing a loud sigh, Naruto turned back to his aunt.

"Don't worry, Oba-san, we'll be fine." With a reassuring nod from Minato, too, the trio entered the gates, finding a large crowd, consisting mostly of children, and a few adults. There were at least two hundred of them, each holding papers, folders or books in their hands – just as they were.

"Mito-sama." The trio turned to their right, only to find a dark haired man in a Jōnin uniform and a young dark haired boy around their age. The man then bowed when he'd gotten their attention. "It's always a pleasure to see you."

"Oh, Shikatsu-kun. What a pleasant surprise." Mito then glanced down to the boy standing by the man's side. "Well, if it isn't little Shikaku-kun. I haven't seen you in quite some time."

"Yeah…" Shikaku drawled while rolling his eyes and glancing at the clouds. A slightly rough nudge from his father's knee caused the boy to startle. "Yes ma'am."

Minato snickered openly while Naruto smirked at the boy's reaction. It seemed he didn't have manners…or maybe he seemed to be as lazy as he led on. His father seemingly had the same demeanour.

Nara.

The, according to his father, clan of geniuses with an intellect so high, they could formulate contingencies for contingencies within mere moments.

"These two young men with me are my nephews, Namikaze Naruto and Minato. They just moved here recently." Mito then nudged the boys forward. "Boys, this man here Nara Shikatsu, Chief Strategist and Jōnin Commander. The young man over there is his son, Nara Shikaku."

Naruto, noticing the critical gleam of fascination and realisation in the older Nara's eyes, came to one conclusion: the Nara are truly the most dangerous clan in Konoha.

"Well, Mito-sama, it's been good seeing you again." Shikatsu smiled slightly, his posture gaining a certain pose of peace. "I've had to drag this one to come this far and I'm not supposed to stop here." With that, the two Nara turned and headed towards the larger crowd.

"That man was one of your father's and uncle's most trusted friends. I trust him as well." Mito advised the two boys warmly. In a world filled with death and betrayal, trusted friends were hard to come across, if ever.

The moved closer to the crowd which stood before a podium, which allowed the elevated speaker to see each and every person within the courtyard. Standing at the podium was a stern looking dark haired man with distinctive red eyes, garbed in standard shinobi attire. He wore a bandana-like forehead protector, and he also had a sword handle protruding vertically from his right shoulder.

"I welcome you all to the twenty-fifth inauguration ceremony of the Shinobi Academy. I am Yūhi Shinku, the Head Instructor of the Shinobi Academy." The man said, introducing himself to the crowd. "As by standard procedure, I shall begin the roll-call of each class. Those who are entering the first time, please move to the left, while those returning for second or third years, you know where to go."

By the Head Instructor's command, the elder students moved into the Academy, heading off to their various classes, leaving behind around one hundred students – the newbies.

"In no order, you shall be split into four classes of twenty-five. These will be your instructors." Shinku motioned for seven shinobi and kunoichi to move forward. "Each class will be instructed by a pair of these fine Jōnin – one for the academics and another for the physical aspects. We might be warriors and mercenaries, but knowledge is also one of our strengths." Shinku concluded, eyeing each and every student within the courtyard. "Now, I shall read the names of the students that shall be tutored by the first pair of instructors, Ikkaku-san and Yuriko-san…"

* * *

The man drawled out for nearly fifteen minutes, making sure that each student he had called knew where they were going or which class they had to join. Now, with the three groups departed, only twenty-five students remained. Glancing around, Naruto spotted the boy they had met earlier, Shikaku, standing between two other boys, one rotund with spiky red hair, and the other, was slim with ashy blonde hair. The blonde was chatting animatedly to the two boys while the rotund boy had a rather jolly smile as he chowed a packet of chips while nodding at his friend's story.

"Now, you that are remaining, are going to be part of our class." Standing before the older man was a brown haired woman, who seemed younger than Tsunade, wearing her hitai-ate in a similar fashion as the Head Instructor. "Follow us."

Following quietly, Naruto was joined in step by a dark haired girl. Glancing to his other side, he realised he had misplaced his brother, but he thought nothing of it. His brother was a better sensor that himself, after all. Then, suddenly, the girl beside him spoke.

"You're new here, aren't you?" Curiously, Naruto glanced to his side only to find dark onyx eyes staring back at him. He smirked slightly before looking ahead.

"So are you." The girl's indignant huff caused his smirk to grow, further irritating her.

"You know what I mean! You're new to the Village." She had crossed her arms in her indignant fury, which kind of looked amusing to Naruto, who knew she was attempting to portray a façade of fierceness. "What's your name?" She asked, almost demandingly.

"Isn't it common courtesy to give your name before asking for one?" Naruto glanced from the corner of his eyes, noticing the girl gaining a look of surprise, her lips parting in stupor. But, before she could respond, their group stopped in the hallways. With some movement, Naruto peaked to the side and noticed the instructors had stopped in front of a classroom.

Room 214.

Clicking open the door, the instructors walked in, allowing the students to follow in. Once they'd stepped in, they got the full view of the class.

There was a single large desk in front of a large blackboard that was attached to the wall. Opposite the large desk was an array of even larger desks in a set of three rows – a total of nine desks. Each desk was set higher than the last, reaching up to the back wall of the class, where there were two more doors, one at each corner.

"Find a place to seat, each desk should be shared by three students." The Head Instructor commanded and the students quickly followed.

Most students, who seemingly were friends, sat with each other. The outliers, like him, had to share desks with strangers – mostly. Unfortunately for him, his two strangers were Shikaku and the dark haired girl from before.

"On the bright side, at least I didn't get the two irritating blondes like Chōza." Shikaku's lazy gaze moved over to the desk below them, in the middle row. There, sat the rotund boy, Chōza, between an animatedly chattering Minato and the ashy blonde haired boy he had seen earlier.

"I guess." Naruto responded with a shrug. His brother was a handful, but he could manage.

"Now." A commanding voice resounded in the small classroom. "I shall begin with roll-call to make sure each of you are present. Once I call your name, raise your hand."

Then he started calling out various names. Naruto, taking this chance to find out more about his classmates, turned an attentive eye to each. Below him, he noticed his brother mellow down, doing a similar thing. Their father would be proud.

"Haruno Kizashi." A boy with dull pink hair waved a hand excitedly.

"Yamanaka Inoichi." The ashy blonde haired boy paused and raised a hand hesitantly after receiving a stern glare from the instructor.

"Hyūga Hiashi." A brown haired and pale eyed boy raised a hand regally.

"Aburame Shibi." A stoic looking dark haired boy raised his hand.

"Inuzuka Tsume." A wild looking brunette shouted out at the Instructor. "And Kuromaru, if I'm not mistaken." The girl looked satisfied after that.

"Hyūga Hizashi." Another dark haired boy with pale eyes – must have been Hiashi's twin – raised a hand.

"Uchiha Fugaku." A dark haired boy quickly raised his hand.

"Akimichi Chōza." The rotund boy waved a hand that held a packet of chips, spilling some on his two companions, causing them to complain loudly.

"Unohara Yoshino." A brown haired girl with a slightly competitive look in her eyes, raised her hand, before bringing it back down and crossing it with the other.

"Namikaze Naruto." Hearing his own name, he raised a hand and brought it back down after the Instructor had nodded back in acknowledgement. The girl beside him, however, nudged his ribs with her elbow.

"Namikaze?" She demanded, her brows furrowed in confusion. Naruto simply nodded back to her. "And why would your parents name you fish cake?"

This caused Naruto to roll his eyes, earning a chuckle from Shikaku who was sitting by his side. He had been asked that question a lot since he arrived in Konoha.

"Hyūga Hitomi." A pale eyed girl with dark blue, almost indigo, hair raised her hand timidly.

"Nara Shikaku." The lazy boy beside him raised his hand as if he didn't want to. The Instructor didn't complain about it, though.

"Uzumaki Kushina." This name caused him and his brother to turn quickly, searching for the owner. Down below, at the bottom right table, in their renowned form, he spotted a red haired girl raise her hand shyly.

"Namikaze Minato." His brother raised his hand dumbly, probably still in shock that there was yet another Uzumaki in Konoha, other than their aunt.

"Uchiha Mikoto." The overly curious girl beside him raised her hand with a slightly smug look in her eyes as she glanced at Naruto. Much to her dismay, she found an almost bored and apathetic look in his eyes.

"Since I haven't missed anyone and everyone is accounted for, allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Yūhi Shinku, the Head Instructor of this facility and your new sensei for the years you shall be in the Academy. I will be handling mostly the physical and a bit of the academics part of your education. My assistant, Umino Kohari, will handle the rest of your academics, as well as the finer arts, for those of you interested." He said while motioning to his assistant. "Understood?"

"Hai, Yūhi-sensei." Came the response from every student in the room.

"Over the course of the next three months, we will be going over basic education such as reading, writing, mathematics and history." Shinku then motioned to Kohari, who then moved to a desk in the corner that was stacked with books. "These books will help you in learning the history of the shinobi world at large and the shinobi conduct."

Each student was given two books, each which would help with their education. In retrospect, this was the most helpful method to inspire and protect young shinobi and kunoichi at all times.

The first one was Bingo Book, and the second, the Shinobi Handbook.

"As per agreement with the Hokage and the council, it has been advised that students _know_ what is out there before they venture into the shinobi world." Shinku's gaze swept the room, earning looks mostly of confusion and some of understanding. "The Bingo Book enlists information on the most dangerous shinobi in the world. The likes of the past kage, Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage, Hozuki Gengetsu, the Nidaime Mizukage, Jinton no Mu, Nidaime Tsuchikage, and more have been entered into that book. The Sandaime Hokage and other living Kage are enlisted as well. But the main purpose of this book is to enlist the most wanted shinobi. Shinobi such as Uchiha Izuna, Kakuzu of Takigakure, and the most dangerous of them all, Uchiha Madara."

Naruto, subconsciously, flinched when he heard those names. He felt particularly sad when the name Uchiha Izuna was called. His father, despite having killed that man himself, had always respected him. He had respected his power, his loyalty and his love towards his family. But, Tobirama, in hopes of saving his own people, had killed Izuna and inadvertently creating a monster. He had admitted to it.

Tobirama admitted that _he_ created the monster that was Uchiha Madara.

"Each week you shall be tested on all you have been taught." Shinku informed, drawing Naruto back from his thoughts. However, he was interrupted by a boyish voice.

"Isn't that a bit much, Yūhi-sensei? I mean, sure we might all want to become powerful shinobi, but I doubt some of us here would manage such without prior education." Hizashi informed. He was aware that, while most of them here were clan born and raised, some were not. Surprisingly, their sensei smiled.

"Quite the observation, Hizashi, but no. You're wrong." Noticing their confusion, Shinku continued. "While most of you here are clan born, we know more about you than most would. In strict secrecy, all of you were observed, studied and tested after your admissions to the Academy were received. Each one of you has shown an aptitude for one, two or more of the shinobi arts."

"You mean we were spied on without our consent?" Inoichi shouted out indignantly. That wasn't standard procedure within the village.

"On the contrary," Shinku smiled. "We received consent from your clans, families or guardians. They were in on it as well."

Then Naruto remembered. About a week ago, one of the younger Chūnin from his clan had requested to duel him. Of course, under his father's tutelage, he had become quite a powerful fighter and he had won against the Chūnin.

"Why?" That startling question came from the girl beside him. Shikaku, on his left, had a curious gleam in his eyes – a gleam similar to the one Shikatsu had earlier when he found out their true identities. Mikoto, however, had a frown marring her delicate features.

Shinku, on the other hand, smiled with a look of praise. ' _Already seeing underneath the underneath.'_

"If you do not know, then listen carefully." He advised before continuing. "Hokage-sama left with an elite force in hopes of ending this war. Make no mistake, this war might end, but another one will begin soon after."

The children, in his eyes, shivered at the thought of yet another war. All of them either had or knew someone who had lost their lives during this war. It brought about a sense of reality to them, that life was not always black and white.

Sometimes, it was dashed with crimson.

"Hokage-sama aims to create a strong force of standard shinobi and kunoichi that will lead the future shinobi. Take the _Densetsu no Sannin_ and the _Shiroi Kiba_ for example. Normal shinobi who have grown to be some of the greatest game changers in this war – Hokage-sama wants more like them." Shinku could almost feel their emotions – they were inspired. Having acquiesced their curiosity, he returned to his previous train of thought. "Those of you who feel that they will be unable to do this, please come forward."

The classroom had become eerily quiet despite it being inhabited to the maximum. Then, with a skid of a chair, one dark haired boy stood up and walked to the front desk. Shinku, eyeing the nervous boy, nodded to his assistant.

"Ichiraku Teuchi, you'll be drafted to Room 213." Shinku stated commandingly. "Worry not, boy, we understand your reasons." Shinku motioned and Kohari placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder and proceeded to leave the room with him.

"Is there anyone else?" Silence. "Very well. Turn to the first page of your Shinobi Handbooks and there…"

As he was instructing, Shinku vowed to do his best with this group of prospective warriors.

* * *

" _ **Dōton: Doryūdan!**_ " A large dragon-like head appeared from the slippery ground and proceeded to fire mud bullets.

Shifting from the dragon seal, his armoured hands formed a tiger seal.

" _ **Katōn: Karyūdan!**_ " Exhaling a stream of fire from his lips, Hiruzen coordinated his latest technique to combine with his previous one, creating lava-like bullets that burned, scalded or melted his enemies.

Amidst the battlefield, he heard a loud war cry from his friend – a tone he had not heard since their youth.

" _ **Fūton: Shinkūha!**_ " A storm of blades made of wind blew out and skewered nearly four dozen enemy shinobi that had attempted to surround them. Hiruzen smiled grimly.

Danzō was his Madara. Together, they were nigh unstoppable.

Lifting his Adamantine Staff, Enma, he leapt into the heat of the battle yet again. They'd been battling for what seemed to be hours while it merely had been some minutes. Their force – of four hundred – had decimated at least a quarter of the two thousand strong base due to the advantageous surprise attack.

As he was leaping, he saw the tandem work of his two students. Jiraiya, as usual, had performed which might be his strongest Katōn technique.

 _ **Keshimakuga Hara**_ , he had once called it.

Orochimaru, much like Danzō, had summoned a powerful gust, which combined with Jiraiya's jutsu, had a powerful firestorm which was eliminating much of the enemy force.

Although the four of them were decimating much of the enemy forces, it was Tsunade who was doing most of the heavy lifting. _Literally._

* * *

"Katsuyu!" She shouted as she leapt into the sky before dropping with her leg pivoted. "Now, _**Tsutenkyaku!**_ " As her heel smashed into the ground, a large tremor occurred, causing the earth to shatter below her enemies.

" **Right away, Tsunade-sama.** " Responded the large slug summon, ready to follow its master's command. " _ **Zesshi Nensan!**_ " She shouted as she spewed a large amount of yellowish paste.

The next thing that resounded in the battlefield was a torrent of screams and cries for help. The yellow paste, highly acidic, had begun melting their opponents. Off the multitude that hadn't been crushed by stone, had burnt to death.

To nothingness.

And she did not stop.

"Let's go!" Tsunade commanded as she landed atop Katsuyu. The summon then sped towards the other battlefields.

Hiruzen, despite being a peaceful man, felt judgement was being justified.

 _Let all enemies wither._

* * *

Dan felt sadness at what he witnessed. His wife was enacting revenge at the people who had butchered her brother – a child of only fifteen years.

A child that was not supposed to ever know about war.

He ran forward as fast as he could, hoping that this battle would finish quicker than most would lost their sanity. Leaping, ducking and weaving, he wrecked havoc amongst his enemies. Despite being a powerful shinobi, he knew how to battle minds far better. So, leaping some yards away from his opponents, he began weaving hand seals.

The people of Iwagakure were godly people, so, he would give them just that.

" _ **Reika no Jutsu!**_ " A spirit-like form began materialising as his body slumped before being caught by a nearby Konoha shinobi. Floating higher, the spirit began taking form, and it formed into Dan.

Some Iwa shinobi started stepping back fearfully, watching as the spirit descended before them. Suddenly, it disappeared, and one of their shinobi, a bulky one, turned to them.

"He comes." Suddenly, after saying those words, his body began flaking, decaying, the stench of his rotting body reached the Iwa shinobi, causing a few to lose control of their stomachs.

The body decayed to ash leaving behind the spirit-like man they had seen. One shinobi, from Iwa, screamed as he stumbled and fell while trying to flee from the spirit.

"Ikiryō!"

Shattering any coordination, the Iwa shinobi ran to whichever direction they could, fleeing from the living ghost.

Unfortunately for them, there was nowhere to flee to. It was too late.

Flying through each and every Iwa shinobi in his immediate area, Dan left in his wake decaying bodies. Once he had finished them off, he returned back to his team. One of them laying down his body, he cancelled his jutsu by walking into his body. Dusting himself off as he stood up, he turned to his team and commanded.

"Let's go!"

* * *

Within the month they had been at the Academy, a clear distinction had been made amongst the students: Nara Shikaku and Namikaze Naruto were the smartest of elite-to-be class.

It turned out that most of them were clan heirs. Shikaku being the heir of the Nara as the eldest son of Shikatsu, his younger brother Ensui being the next in line should anything happen to Shikaku. Mikoto was the son of the late Uchiha Kagami and she was already being groomed to be clan head. Hyūga Hiashi was heir of his clan, as well as Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Chōza, Aburame Shibi, Inuzuka Tsume, Kurama Murakumo and himself. Kushina, as of recent, had become the sole survivor of the Uzumaki.

It had also been decided, within the month, that those who shared the desk would, upon graduating, become teammates. Which was quite unfortunate for Naruto, as Mikoto was as curious a girl as ever. Although, he didn't mind messing around with her. She was the queen of getting flustered, but after Kushina, apparently.

Some students had come to call her 'Tomato' because of her bright red hair. That name had soon turned the other way after she had beat up a few who had called her that.

Red Hot-Blooded Habanero was a name spoken in fear lately. Despite, or rather due, to her character – and red hair, secretly – his brother had dotted on the girl. Because of him, the girl had joined their circle of friends which consisted mostly of the other clan heirs.

Hizashi was a stark contrast of his brother, Hiashi. He was more…free, in a sense, than his brother who was a stickler for rules. Tsume was wilder than Minato and Kushina combined – which was quite a dangerous combination. Shikaku, Shibi, Fugaku and himself were the most reasonable of the group – more reasonable, really, since Fugaku wanted to test his _Katōn_ jutsu against Naruto's by burning a koi pond. Inoichi, Murakumo, Chōza, Kizashi and Gaku, Tsume's cousin, were more emotional than the rest. Hitomi and Nonō acted like the older sisters of their group, they were the most emotionally stable. Mikoto and Yoshino however…

"What did you say you pink eyed prick?" Yoshino roared raising and pulling back a fist.

"I didn't know you were retarded too, you dunce!" Mikoto retaliated by pivoting off her left foot and whipping her right horizontally, in order to catch Yoshino's ribs.

However, both their attacks attacks where stopped. There was a loud smacking sound which proved that their attacks connected but they felt no pain. Standing between them, Naruto glanced at the both of them, his eyes half lidded in an almost bored manner.

"What have I said about fighting during our free time?" His flat voice drawled, causing both girls to blush and look away. Sighing, more to himself rather than at the situation, he let go of their limbs which he had gripped with both hands. "Don't do it again, please?"

"Sure thing, Naruto." Mikoto said as she shrugged off imaginary dust.

"Of course, Naruto-kun." Yoshino, with an overly sweet voice, draped herself on Naruto. "Anything for you~"

"Hey, you get yourself off of him, right now!" Mikoto shouted while reaching to pull the girl off her friend.

' _Not again.'_ Naruto thought tiredly to himself. Moving Yoshino off of him, he performed a quick _Shunshin_ and landed beside Hiashi. ' _Why me…'_

"Namikaze, for what purpose have you brought us here?" The stoic Hyūga demanded with an air of irritation. Despite being one of their friends due to his beloved brother, he didn't like wasting his time doing nothing.

"Come on, Hiashi-kun." Hitomi appeared to his left and began poking his should while giggling all the time. "Yūhi-sensei gave us a day off to recuperate."

"I don't need to re—hey, could you stop that!?" Hiashi, in a great show of emotion by his standards, tried to smack Hitomi's hand away but the girl was faster than him.

"I won't stop until you sit down and relax, Hiashi-kun." Hitomi continued poking and giggling dreamily until Hiashi sighed tiredly and plopped down beside her.

"Fine." He said as he crossed his arms. A small squeal of 'yay' couldn't stop the small smirk that grew on his lips.

Yūhi-sensei had given them a day of to recuperate after month of gruelling hard work and effort. Despite being able to manage it, some had not, he noticed. Six students, two clan children and the rest civilian, had cracked under the pressure of the first week. So all in all, the entirety of his class was here in the forested, but open part of the Senju Forest – one his uncle had created before the end of his reign. Within this part of the forest, there was a set of benches and playground sets.

He could see Minato, Kushina and Nonō on the swing set. Gaku and Tsume were playing with their ninken, Kuromaru and Masaki, along with Kizashi. Inoichi, Chōza, Murakumo and Fugaku were sitting under the shade of a tree, as well as Hiashi and Hitomi over at another.

"You know, Naruto." Shikaku's lazy drawl reached his ears. "You have to stop being so overly analytical every once in a while." He leaned back slightly, his hands forming an impromptu cushion behind his head.

"Shikaku is right, Naruto. You have to relax sometime." Hizashi offered while attempting to shave off some unbalanced part of the bench's armrest. "Even us Hyūga don't always keep our Byakugan on, for the sake of keeping our sanity."

"I don't believe in that mentality. Why you ask? It's because in this time of war, our awareness shouldn't dwindle even though we're having "fun"." Shibi was crouching near a plant, watching a beetle as it took flight once it spotted him. "Like that beetle, although it was just lazing around, it was aware of it's surroundings and it fled as I approached it." He said as he stood up.

"It's never that easy though." Naruto sighed. Suddenly, he tilted his head to the side, a movement his brother and Inoichi mimicked. The other kids, following Minato, congregated with the others in the open grassy field. "Minato."

"It's Hokage-sama, Tsunade, Dan and many other shinobi – around three hundred." Minato informed with a small smile. His family had survived.

"That means that they won if there's this many of them returning." Kizashi shouted out excitedly. The others had similar thoughts, although, they were worried.

After all, some of their relatives had gone to war.

"I sense a large number of people heading to the northern gates. Let's go." Naruto commanded as they leapt to the trees for a faster way of moving.

* * *

Tsunade, with her inherent abilities, sensed a large number of people approaching the gates. She also sensed a smaller group of eighteen with smaller chakra signatures – children then – rushing to the gates. She also sensed her two new relatives, one leading that group.

She smiled.

It was hard for her to believe that after losing her little brother, they had been blessed with two younger boys in their clan. Though, technically, they were her uncles, during the short time they'd acquainted to each other, they'd treated each other more like siblings.

It surely had been awkward for Dan when Minato had asked him what he wanted with their niece. Naruto, not helping at all, had conjured a flaming ball and had it float around them, mostly Dan, menacingly.

She was, in a way, happy that she had new family. She surely would miss Nawaki, but now she had more people to care for. One more would be joining soon, if what she sensed was accurate. Her cousins-by-law, Kagerō and Akira, had been adopted by this civilian couple of their clan. The older brother had shown no interest in becoming a shinobi. Understandable, really. Shinobi had killed their parents, twice.

As they neared the gates, she spotted many people – mostly civilian – waiting, excitedly, hoping that they had won the war. Hoping that they would now be safe.

Hoping that their loved ones were safe.

It was rather, in a twisted sense of humour, amusing. She, herself, had slaughtered several hundreds of their enemy. Enemies that had families, hopes and dreams.

She had crushed their hopes with her bare hands and melted their dreams away with Katsuyu's floods of concentrated acid.

"Hokage-sama!" One of the people gathered – she wasn't sure who – shouted out to their leader.

Her sensei, now looking older than she had ever known, walked in front of her almost robotically. His shoulders were slightly slumped while his aura was one of pure sadness. She couldn't blame him, though.

It reminded her of her grandfather sometime during her childhood. She had ran to her grandfather, hoping and praying, that it wasn't true. She had bounded up to him and turned his attention to her by pulling at his leg pants. And that was the day she found out the truth.

He was no god.

Senju Hashirama was just a man, a powerful one, albeit a man.

He had stared down at her, tears streaming down his face. Her sunshine had turned into a storm. He had knelt down and with all the power he could muster at the time, without allowing the flowers around him to weep for him, said those four words to her.

" _It's my fault, Tsuna."_

He had hugged her fiercely and she had wept. Oh god, she had wept. She had wept for her grandfather, wept for her beloved grandmother, wept for her mother, for Nawaki, and eventually, herself.

Reaching out a hand to grab her sensei's shoulder, she stopped when he turned to the right. There, gazing at him with a comforting smile – something she had never seen from this man – said those few words.

"Go home, Hiruzen. I will handle things here." Danzō offered calmly.

She watched as her sensei silently nod, thanking his friend, before leaping to the walls, much to the surprise of the crowded people and their force.

' _Go and weep for your son, sensei.'_ Tsunade thought as she spotted her grandmother standing beside Shikatsu, Homura and Koharu. She smiled sadly as she returned to her train of thought.

 _Go and weep for your son, Orochimaru._

* * *

 **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique:** B-rank, Supplementary; This jutsu allows the user to create one or more copies of themselves. The user's chakra is evenly divided between themselves and their clones: creating one clone will give it half the user's chakra, creating two clones will give each a third of the user's chakra, and so on. Depending on how much chakra the user has and how many clones they make, this rapid depletion of their reserves can be dangerous. Because of this, usually only those of at least jōnin-level can safely use the standard Shadow Clone Technique.

 **Dōton: Doryūdan – Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet:** B-rank, Offensive; After creating a mud source, the user creates a dragon-like head to shoot mud balls at an opponent. To be more threatening, the user can combine this technique with a fire technique to make the mud balls become searing hot.

 **Katōn: Karyūdan – Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet:** B-rank, Offensive; A basic Fire Release technique, where the user exhales a flame breath from their mouth. As shown by Hiruzen, this technique can be used in conjunction with **Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet** to ignite the projectiles fired by the latter technique, making it more devastating.

 **Fūton: Shinkūha – Wind Release: Vacuum Wave:** B-rank, Offensive; The user takes a deep breath and spins while exhaling, compressing the released air into a solitary blade of wind that covers a substantial area around the user, due to their circular motion. The resulting sharpened blast is large enough to slice through multiple targets located at a significant distance from the user, causing grievous injuries to those hit.

 **Katōn: Keshimakuga Hara – Fire Release: Extinguishing Curtain Field:** A-rank, Offensive; Jiraiya stomps the ground with his foot, creating a crack that goes under the opponent. He then sends fire into the crack, boiling the earth below the opponent and finishes by clapping his hands together, creating a large and fiery explosion where the opponent is.

 **Tsūtenkyaku – Heavenly Foot of Pain:** C-rank, Offensive; Tsunade jumps in midair and targets her opponent with a falling axe kick. Tsunade concentrates her incredible strength into her heel and strikes the enemy, dealing massive damage. It was shown that when she strikes the ground, it results in a gigantic crater that can even kill an opponent caught in its immediate strike zone.

 **Zesshi Nensan – Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid:** A-rank, Offensive; A highly concentrated acidic paste is suddenly released from the mouth. The acid boasts such high density and concentration that it is even capable of diluting stone, vaporising it. Because there are no prerequisite moves to do before this techniques' activation, Katsuyu can easily strike quickly, and catch an enemy off-guard with this attack.

 **Reika no Jutsu – Spirit Transformation Technique:** S-rank, Offensive-Supplementary; This technique allows the user's spirit to materialise and leave their body, which is then able to take possession of a target, enabling them to freely manipulate the victim's body at will. As a result of being possessed by this jutsu-user, the host body decays from the inside-out


	4. Prospect III

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

" _All living things contain as certain measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways. This madness can be saving; it is part and parcel of the ability to adapt. Without it, no species would survive." –_ Yann Martel

* * *

" _This is the plan."_

 _The silence after was interrupted by the buzzing sounds of moths and the flickering of the street light, which could barely distract the listener at all._

" _You disguise yourself and make a move on Tsunade." He smiled, excited about implementing this new plan. "I'll appear just in time, and chase you away." A large grin split his face, his cheeks gaining a pink hue. "And then Tsunade will say, "Oh Jiraiya-kun, you're so manly.""_

 _A blank stare was the response he got from his companion._

" _What's the point of all this?" His companion asked, staring at him with those golden reptilian eyes. They flickered to the left in confusion. "I don't understand it."_

 _Taking in a deep breath to inflate his chest, hoping his bravado would be appealing to his friend, he spoke out aloud and boisterously – as usual._

" _It has deep significance to me." Closing his eyes in satisfaction while nodding his head. "Very deep significance to me." A toothy grin split his face – he just knew that his friend was going to help him._

 _Even with his ears closed, he could feel his companion staring at him – sometimes it felt as though it was_ through _him. Hearing a sigh, he knew he had won his support._

" _She's close by…" His friend offered exasperatedly. They quickly moved away to implement the plan._

 _From the place he was hiding in, he could clearly hear the rough sandy ground crunching under her form and he could also hear her slurring incoherently – she must have been drinking again._

" _Damn it!" Tsunade cursed, pausing mid-stride. "If…if only…I'd folded back then!" She began walking again, wobbling in her intoxicated state._

 _A street cat that was on the path suddenly meowed before fleeing as the drunk woman neared it._

" _Nah…gambling isn't that simple." Tsunade continued, having come to a conclusion from her previous arguments with herself. "That was that and…probably…" She trailed off again. She brought her perfectly manicured hand up before making gestures with it. "I'm sure…yeah, it was the snap."_

 _Suddenly she stopped. The hand she hand been using to make gestures tightly clenched into a fist, threatening to harm the masked shinobi in front of her._

" _Who are you?" Her voice came out cold and frigid, the earlier lightness of it forgotten. "I'm in a bad mood right now."_

 _She watched as the silent assailant merely raise his fists up in preparation for a battle. She imagined how pointless that was against her._

" _If you try anything…" Tsunade was satisfied when she saw the man flinch as she said the words. "I'll kill you."_

 _With a loud cry, she raised her left leg high, before crashing it down on the ground, shattering the once quiet pathway. She relished in the assailant's scream as he was flung away during the shattering._

" _Tsunade!" As the dust was beginning to settle, she spotted her teammate running to her direction. "A-Are you alright?" He shouted out as he neared her. "I'm here now, so…don't worry…" He suddenly stopped and stared._

 _Right in front of him there was a large crater, the one peaceful pathway looking more like a battlefield than a passage._

" _Huh? What are you doing here, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked, bringing him out of his stupor, at the same time causing him to start sweating profusely._

" _Actually…" Jiraiya started, placing a hand on his head and starting to scratch it nervously – a habit that he most probably wouldn't ever let go of. "I mean, you see…"_

 _Tsunade watched as her friend carried on dodging her question. Unsurprisingly, his cheeks turned pink as he gazed at her._

" _You're…looking…awfully sexy…tonight." He supplied, all the while grinning nervously. Then, the masked shinobi, walked in front of him._

" _Hey, Jiraiya…" The masked man started. While he didn't know this, those very words he said would haunt Jiraiya years later. "I'm leaving."_

 _Tsunade stared confusedly as a strange and unfamiliar emotion flickered on Jiraiya's features, before being covered up by a grin. She paid it to her drunken mind seeing things that weren't there._

" _Just what are you two up to?"_

* * *

"Jiraiya."

He had been standing there, lost in his thoughts, unaware of his surroundings. He chuckled sombrely; his best friend would have reprimanded him harshly for doing that. Hypocritical, if the dark voice at the back of his mind was correct.

"Tsunade, what are you doing here?" Jiraiya gazed at his teammate, his eyes – for once – not trailing her breathtaking body. "This isn't the type of place I would expect to have our first date."

Tsunade smiled slightly. She had been hoping that he was better than she was – he wasn't. Raising her hand to his face and trailing it across his stubbled chin, she wiped away the flowing tears – tears he seemed to not have been aware of.

"I'm going away for sometime, Tsunade." His coal coloured eyes stared into her honey brown pair. "If you're here to stop me, please don't try." He turned his face to the side slightly, so as to avoid her eyes.

Suddenly, he felt his body being engulfed in a warm hug – his mind ignorant of how much he had dreamt of feeling her up close. She wrapped her arms around him, her head barely reaching above his chest.

"Be careful." Her grip got tighter, holding him closer than before. "I don't want to lose you too." She whispered, her body shaking against him.

Jiraiya wrapped his arms around her, making sure that she felt his emotions as he promised her the very thing he feared most in the world.

Abandonment.

"Don't worry, I won't ever leave you."

But he knew; promises were fickle in their world. The world was a swift and cruel place – crueler than he had ever imagined.

One moment you could you leaping to the closest medic with a wounded comrade in your arms.

The next, you could be exploding in a _shower_ _of gore_.

' _I won't stop moving forward, Orochimaru.'_

* * *

The echoing sound of the school bell alerted him that it was the end of the school day. They'd been going over the initial years before the creation of the village system as a means to get a perspective of how far society had evolved over the recent centuries.

Pulling out a scroll, he unrolled it onto his part of the desk and placed his notes and books onto the scroll. Then, with a hand seal, kanji began forming a pattern underneath his books before a popping sound signalled its success.

" _ **Fūin.**_ "

Picking up the scroll, he glanced at the girl beside him who was staring irritably at him.

"You've got to teach me that." Mikoto muttered underneath her breath while stashing away her sheets of papers and books into her backpack. Hearing another pop from behind Naruto, she turned and attempted to jump at the boy. "That's not fa—"

He watched as Mikoto stumbled onto the table from attempting to wrangle his neck. He rubbed a phantom pain as he remembered nearly dying at the hands of a Uchiha.

His father would have not been pleased, he imagined.

"Naruto, that's so not fair!" She shouted from the table, glaring up at him as he stood by the back door. "How come you taught Shikaku how to do it?"

Mikoto watched as Shikaku passed her and Naruto muttering a few words that turned her vision red. Quickly, Naruto grabbed at Shikaku's shoulder and teleported out of the room.

"What does he mean 'its only for the top three'?! That bastard!"

Although they couldn't see her, Naruto and Shikaku could hear her shouting through the corridors as they walked into the courtyard.

"Please don't do that again if you wanna live." Naruto informed, certain that Mikoto wasn't stalking them. "I almost died for calling her my sidekick."

Shikaku chuckled as he remembered that. Mikoto, apparently, felt the need to be on top – typical Uchiha fashion, but it hadn't sounded right to the rest of them. Naruto had then gone to call her his sidekick, causing her to wrangle his neck in an act of "dominance" as she called it.

"Fine, I'll stop." Shikaku said stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Naruto opened his white fur trimmed jacket and placed his scroll into one of the pockets. Apparently, before he found it in the storage unit at the main house, it had belonged to his father.

"I hope your father didn't call me for a rematch." Naruto mused as they changed their path, heading to the Nara clan compound.

The last time he was there, Shikatsu had challenged Naruto to a game of Shogi after finding out that he had beaten Shikaku a few times. Although he had been defeated by the older man, it had been quite a tough match.

"I wish." Shikaku gazed at the flying birds – a sign, Naruto had learned, that he was doing something he didn't want to do. "My mother invited you this time."

Naruto smirked when Shikaku sighed. It seemed Shikaku's mother bothered him more than his father did.

"It can't be that bad." Naruto offered, his smirk growing by the second. Hearing another sigh, he chuckled.

"Your funeral, I guess."

* * *

An oddly rhythmic and sequential knock alerted him of his expected guest. With a flick of his wrist, the silent ANBU guards vacated the room, leaving him with his guest.

"Enter."

The dark haired man walked in briskly, bowing deeply before him before greeting.

"Hokage-sama." The man said. Watching his leader motion to him, he took a seat, placing his report on the desk.

"Shinku-san, how goes our project?" Hiruzen wrapped his fingers into a prayer-like position on his desk, watching intently at the Head Instructor before him. "I take it they have lessened over the past year?"

Shinku, for his credit, gazed directly into his leader's eyes. The older man had changed somewhat after the death of one of his students, becoming a more militaristic than he was before.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Shinku then opened the folders he had laid on the desk, picking a particular one with a largely stamped 'DRAFTED' on it. "Seven students, two clan raised and five civilian, were drafted within the first month. I take that the pressure scared them away."

"It was to be expected." Hiruzen nodded to himself. "What of the others? I've heard rumours about a group of children making use of some of the vacated training fields."

Shinku smiled at the information. He had watched from afar when, after the Siege of Shinhidaka, his students had started training with each other in various training fields. At this rate, the would reach _their_ goal before they even knew it.

"Yes, I've allowed the continuation of this, if it isn't much trouble, Hokage-sama?" Shinku watched as his leader smiled in return.

"Not at all, Shinku-san. On the contrary, this helps us and them in a much quicker way." Hiruzen then leaned back into his chair. "I've heard that Naruto-kun has become somewhat the leader of this group."

"Quite the brilliant boy, that one." Shinku offered lightly. "Although, I fear he might be holding back his potential – both him and his brother."

It made him wonder how the boys were brought up. They seemed to be fine, if not more aware, and they had moved to Konoha over a year ago, their parentage untraceable other than their claim to be Namikaze. The Hokage, Mito-sama and Tsunade seemed to have taken them in well.

"I'm afraid, Shinku-san, that anything concerning those two must be safely hidden until a certain time." Hiruzen stated, his eyes firmly gazing into Shinku, making sure his command was heard.

"Hokage-sama?" Shinku was surprised by the fierceness his leader suddenly portrayed when those two boys were involved. "Might it be something pertaining their parentage or their advanced abilities?"

He had seen, one time, Minato make a pillar of water without any seals. He just grabbed the water and pulled at it, demonstrating high affiliation to the _Sūiton_ element while helping out his friends, Hyūga Hitomi and Yamanaka Inoichi, to learn about said element.

His brother, however, had been challenged by Uchiha Fugaku to test out their _Katōn_ ninjutsu. Naruto's fireball had engulfed Fugaku's in mere moments, causing panic, and a quick manipulation of _Sūiton_ by the same boy to stop the flames.

Hiruzen nodded, proving that his own observations hadn't been mistaken.

"Their heritage will be revealed upon attaining Chūnin rank. Any time earlier would result in assassinations, most probably, if they are unable to protect themselves." Hiruzen's stern and commanding voice was all Shinku needed to hear. "Only you, Kohari-san and myself will be privy to their documents, understood?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Shinku nodded firmly. He didn't wish to put his students in jeopardy. Hiruzen motioned for him to carry on with his report. "All the students have a firm grasp on their basic education – especially History. They, through hours of hard work and determination, have learned Taijutsu stances taught at the Academy. At this rate, they will have their personal forms by the time they graduate – just what is necessary for seasoned Chūnin."

Shinku's chest swelled when Hiruzen expressed surprise at the group's rate of growth. The older man smiled after coming to terms with the information.

"That is very impressive, Shinku-san. As expected of someone with your capable teaching abilities." Hiruzen then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Very well. I would like reports of their progress every two months. A few months from now, I intend to fulfil Tsunade's dream. As we have seen in the last war, Iryō ninjutsu is to be established as a necessary programme within the Academy."

"I will do my best, Hokage-sama. And I believe Tsunade will be very pleased." Shinku said before bowing to his leader and vacating the room, leaving Hiruzen with a desk stacked with reports.

"As do I." Reaching out to the first report the Head Instructor had brought in, he read the name out loud. "Haruno Kizashi, hm?"

* * *

The sound of wood grating against wood alerted her that someone had just entered her home. She could hear her son mumbling incoherently while another voice, probably their invited guest, was chuckling softly at her son's complaints.

"Kaa-san, we're here." She heard. Shikaku's drawling tone was something she had tried – and utterly failed – to stop. The boy was so much like his father during their youth.

She peeked from the doorframe, he dark hair swaying along with her movement, and spotted her son seating down by the tatami mats with his white haired friend – Namikaze Naruto. It made her smile how her son had grown close to this stoic yet brilliant boy.

 _Like father, like son_ , she mused.

She may not have seemed like it, but she was observant enough to see the strong resemblance between Naruto and her old friends.

"Good afternoon, dear." She said while approaching the two boys. Shikaku had already begun to set up the table for a match of shogi. "And you must be Naruto."

The boy stood up and bowed slightly. Facing her with a small smile – a smile that reminded her so much of her friend. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nara-san. And thank you for inviting me here." His smile broadened when he heard the woman's melodious laughter – so did Shikaku's smirk.

"Don't worry about it, Naruto-kun. You're always welcome here – you are family, after all." The woman smiled sombrely as she spoke yet again. "Your mother was like a sister to me at some point of our lives. I'm sorry for your loss – the both of them."

Naruto smiled at the older Nara. His father, during their youth, had once told them of a woman he grew up with – a member of his clan – who had ended up marrying one of his closest friends.

"They told me so much about you. It's nice to finally meet you, Tōka-oba-san." Naruto looked up at the brown-haired's ebony coloured eyes – the picturesque description of a Senju. The woman smiled so warmly, reminding him of his late mother.

"So you knew after all, huh?" Tōka's smirk grew as she watched the confusion play in her son's eyes. "Shikaku-chan, meet your cousin."

Shikaku stared.

His mind was working in a frenzy. Of course he knew his mother was a Senju – everyone did. Although, he hadn't been aware that Naruto and Minato were actually _Senju._ He'd always assumed they were related to them by marriage or clan ties like the Uzumaki.

" _How?_ "

The former Senju smiled at her son's deduction – the boy was very smart, quite possibly smarter than his father.

"I'm his father's cousin, dear. And his mother's cousin through marriage, too." Suddenly, Tōka began scratching the back of her head – in a manner that reminded both boys of Minato. "Hm, that's a bit confusing sometimes."

Naruto chuckled while Shikaku sighed at his mother's antics – she'd always been a strange woman.

"Wait!" Shikaku's eye's widened suddenly, turning to Naruto, then back to his mother. "So Tob—" He stopped when he was interrupted by his mother.

"Yes." Tōka ran a hand through her hair once she sat down on the mats opposite the boys. Eyeing Naruto – who had a stoic expression – and Shikaku who seemed a bit nervous, she begun. "I was born to Senju Butsuma's younger brother, and I was the only child. After my father passed away prematurely," A flicker of sadness streaked through her features. "I was brought up alongside my cousins Hashirama, Tobirama, Kawarama, and Itama. Unfortunately, Kawarama and Itama passed before the end of the Warring States Era, while Hashirama, Tobirama and myself survived." She sighed sadly as she gazed at the two boys before her. "I'm glad this war is over." She whispered. "After the Warring States Era, I never expected to see another. But we have always seemed to underestimate human nature."

"But didn't Tobirama-sama die during the First Shinobi War, saving Hokage-sama and the rest of the elders?" Shikaku asked curiously. He was saddened by his mother's past – it must have been difficult to watch her family die one after the other. "Naruto is my age too, so that would mean he survived. And if he did," He turned to Naruto expectantly, narrowing his eyes. "Why didn't he come back to her?"

Naruto could feel it – that acute sensory ability he inherited from his father was both a gift and a curse. It could, even in his weakest state, sense a sliver of emotions. His father had once told him that it would only grow stronger till it became something akin to the Yamanaka techniques.

"He couldn't." Surprisingly, it was Tōka who responded. Looking at his mother, Shikaku frowned at the pained expression in her hardened eyes. "Tobirama would have come back home, so the only reason he didn't, was because he couldn't." She stared at Naruto expectantly.

"Kinkaku." Naruto clenched his fist in anger. "When he escaped, he had already lost an arm and had been poisoned by _that_ chakra." He stared directly into Tōka's eyes. "All he ever told me was that he wanted us to return to his sisters, his family – he even _begged_ us."

Tōka's watery eyes shed a few tears. She had, after Shikatsu had realised who they were, visited her sister-in-law. Mito had told her about the boys, their heritage, even their _abilities._ Mito had begged for forgiveness for not telling her that their brother had _survived_ , if barely. But she knew him, her brother.

He hated causing pain to his family.

"Naruto…" Shikaku's anger had fled and all that remained was sadness. He could feel his friends anger – it was nearly palpable. He could feel the air becoming warmer and crispier.

" _He's_ still out there, Oba-san." Naruto's stormy eyes stared into ebony. The boy's eyes bled and drowned at the same time, astounding Tōka tremendously. The power the boy unconsciously conveyed was great.

But it was the words. The words her brothers had spoken – words _she_ had spoken – like religion, caused her true fear.

But, surprisingly, her smirk matched his.

" _They shall all wither."_

* * *

The loud cry she heard before entering the house caused her to sigh tiredly. After such a long day, she didn't want this.

Closing the door behind her, she walked through the corridor towards the other. It was a traditional house, so she had removed her sandals at the genkan.

Since about two weeks ago, she had become the occasional instructor at the Hospital and at the Academy. Her sensei had finally agreed to her long-time request of teaching Iryō ninjutsu. But who would have believed her dream to be so difficult?

Sliding open the wooden door, she came across a scene that would forever stay with her. Apparently the cry she had heard earlier wasn't from the person she had expected it from.

"Tsunade, help me!"

Minato was on the floor, positioned like a horse and screaming at the top of his lungs while a small little figure laughed from his back while pulling at his golden hair.

"Tsunade, please!" He screamed again, floods of tears falling from his eyes. "Get this little _monster_ off of me!"

Tsunade, instead of helping, blinked before laughing loudly while pointing at the boy. The toddler, seeing her mother, jumped off of her 'horse', speeding to the blonde woman.

"Mama!" The brown haired child screamed as she wobbled to her mother who was now seating on the floor, leaning on the doorframe.

Tsunade, coming out of her reverie, noticed the little figure before her. A warm and loving smile spread on her face as she pulled up the small child.

"Shizune-chan!" The child giggled loudly, reaching out her pudgy hands to her mother's face. "Don't do that to your Oji-san, okay?" Tsunade watched the small child shake her head vigorously.

"Ji-chan…horse…" Shizune crossed her arms defiantly. The she spotted Minato running a hand through his hair with a look of irritation on his face. "Ji-chan!" She giggled while spreading her arms wide.

Minato, as helpless as any other man before a child, smiled at the child and took her into his arms. Although, within moments, she was already touching his bangs.

"Hey, Tsunade." Minato said as he moved to seat with the excitable child at the table. "You're out early today…Nonō?" He smirked when she groaned.

"That brat is so damn excitable, _literally_." Tsunade threw her arms into the air exasperatedly. "I can't even breathe without her squealing." She shook her head. The girl was brilliant with Iryō ninjutsu, she was just too damn excitable.

"Come on, Tsunade. You're the poor girl's idol." Tsunade's eyes narrowed when she noticed Minato's ever growing smirk.

"Yeah, yeah." Tsunade waved him off. "Where's Dan?" She asked curiously. She had been expecting to see her husband when she got home.

"Oh yeah, he was summoned by the old man. Probably for a mission or something." Minato pulled back his hair from Shizune's mouth as she was about to eat it.

"I see." Tsunade hummed.

Dan had been seeing the Hokage more frequently these past months. She, at first, had thought it was about patrol and clear up missions – especially since the war ended – but it wasn't. It could be something more, perhaps.

She shrugged.

"Well," Tsunade felt something grabbing at her leg. "This is my cue to leave. Later." With a shower of leaves, Minato disappeared from the home.

Glancing down, she saw Shizune wobbling to the leaves and picking up one, proceeding to bite it.

She sighed tiredly.

As she was heading out with her friend, Hitomi, Kushina had been called by her sensei.

"Kohari-sensei, you called?" She asked as she stood before her dark haired teacher while fixing her bag's strap.

The older woman smiled at the young girl. She enjoyed the girl's antics quite a bit – especially the prank she, Minato and Kizashi had pulled on her husband, Ikkaku.

"Ah, yes." Kohari responded after being caught daydreaming. Violet eyes were staring at her attentively. "There's someone who wants to meet you today, Kushina-chan." She smiled when an excited gleam entered her student's eyes.

"Really?! Who?!" Like a child on a sugar rush, her eyes began dashing around the room, searching for the person waiting to meet her. Then suddenly, she sobered up. "Is it because of what happened Ikkaku-san? I swear, I wasn't there! It was Minato and Kizashi!"

Kohari's melodic laughter rang out causing the younger girl to chuckle nervously. She just knew her sensei wouldn't believe her.

"No, no, Kushina-chan. It's not about the prank _Minato_ and _Kizashi_ pulled." A whispered 'yes' and raising of fist caused her to raise an eyebrow at the girl before her. "Come now, it'd be rude to keep a guest waiting."

"Let's go then, Kohari-sensei!" The red haired girl pulled at the woman's wrist, pulling her along as she exited the classroom. "Where are we—" She suddenly stopped as she fell to the ground after running into someone. "Ow!"

She reached to rub her sore behind while attempting to glare at the person who knocked her down.

"Hey, watch where you're goi—" A hand smacked onto her mouth, silencing her from whatever she was about to say.

"Mito-sama, I apologise for that." Kohari spoke frantically while trying to help the elderly woman up.

"Oh, it's quite alright, Kohari-chan. I haven't experienced that in a while." Mito chuckled as she was helped up by Kohari. She'd always been a sweet girl to her. "And what do we have here?" She asked while looking at the little girl trying to hide behind the doorframe. Kohari chuckled alongside Mito as the watched the little girl try – and fail miserably – to hide.

"Come on, Kushina-chan." The young girl moved from the doorframe and stood before them, staring down at her feet. "Now, what do we say after what happened?"

"Sorry, baa-chan." Kushina mumbled her apology, her skin matching that off her hair.

' _I just rammed into Mito-sama!'_ she screamed to herself. She knew who the woman was – she was some distant relative of hers. But of course, all Uzumaki were distant relatives.

"Worry not, dear. It's quite alright." Mito responded with a soft chuckle. She turned to the school teacher. "Kohari-chan, if I may?" She watched as the girl nodded quickly with a smile on her lips.

"Of course, Mito-sama. We were just heading to meet up with you." Kohari bowed and walked back into her classroom.

Kushina froze.

"Come now, my dear." Mito said while touching the younger girl's shoulder to bring her back from her thoughts. "We have much to discuss." Kushina nodded quietly.

It was time, then.

* * *

 _ **Author's note:**_

 _ **Wallahi, I have great things planned for this.**_


	5. Growth I

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Wither

" _Hey, I very much doubt you're out of your depth. But even if you are, you know how to swim, don't you?" –_ Barbara Keane

* * *

"It is with great pleasure that I announce you all a Genin of Konohagakure no Sato." Shinku, standing at the front of all fourth year students, announced. "Be proud of yourselves, you are now protectors of our Village."

"Hai, sensei!" Their voice in unison, the students shouted out their agreement.

They had bled, sweat and cried to get where they were – Elite Genin of Konohagakure no Sato.

All eighteen students watched as their sensei stepped back and stood beside the other officials. Garbed in their respective attires, the clan heads stood behind their sovereign leader, the Sandaime Hokage. A child from each of the clans – from the Akimichi to the Yamanaka – had graduated a part of this group.

The Hokage, who had been watching quietly, stepped forward to make the act official. With his reading, each student would step forward to receive a hitai-ate and then proceed to stand before their guardian or clan head.

"Aburame Shibi." The tall and shaggy haired boy went and received his hitai-ate and proceeded to stand by his father's side.

"Akimichi Chōza." The rotund boy had grown taller, larger and sturdier – a prime example of an Akimichi warrior. He received his hitai-ate from Shinku-sensei and then moved to stand beside his father.

"Haruno Hizashi." The dull pink haired boy grinned broadly as he rushed to receive his hitai-ate before running to hug his mother, a brightly pink haired woman.

"Hyūga Hiashi, Hyūga Hitomi and Hyūga Hizashi." The three nobles stepped forward and bowed before the Hokage. They each received their hitai-ate and proceeded to stand before the elderly Hyūga clan head.

From the slight look of uncomfortableness on Hizashi's face, it must have been practiced.

"Inuzuka Gaku." The wild looking boy rushed to the front and received his hitai-ate, before moving to stand beside his aunt. The wild looking woman ruffled the boy's hair – she seemed quite fond of him.

"Inuzuka Tsume." Kuromaru howled and Masaki followed, so did the clan head's hound. Tsume then walked forward and received her hitai-ate and moved to stand before her mother. The woman ruffled her hair, just as she had her nephew.

"Kurama Murakumo." The dark haired and broad shouldered boy stepped forward, bowing to the Hokage as he received his hitai-ate, and bowing to his father, a man in his late fifties who wore a proud smile.

"Nara Shikaku." The boy's half-lidded gaze fell from the birds and down to the path he had to take. He moved along smoothly and bowed slightly as he reached the Hokage. He then moved towards his father, who was accompanied by the glee-looking Tōka who proceeded to smother her son in a hug.

"Namikaze Minato." The blonde haired boy smiled widely as he stepped before the Hokage. He then received a hitai-ate and held out his fist towards the Hokage. And strangely enough, the Hokage smirked and ruffled the boy's hair instead, beckoning him to move to his family – Mito, Tsunade, Dan and little Shizune.

"Namikaze Naruto." All eyes gazed at the quiet boy who slithered like a snake amongst his fellow students and they watched as he bowed to the Hokage, his face a frozen painting of stoicism. He then moved to the rest of his family, little Shizune immediately doting onto her uncle's leg causing him to smile slightly.

"Uchiha Fugaku." The proud fire-breather stepped forward as he was given his hitai-ate. He bowed to the Hokage and moved to the Uchiha group, which consisted of the clan' matriarch and a little boy of two.

"Uchiha Mikoto." The dark haired beauty stepped forward confidently, a smirk adorning her lips. She bowed before the Hokage and proceeded to receive her hitai-ate, before rushing off to her little brother, Shisui, who ran to her.

"Uzumaki Kushina." The red haired girl grinned widely and raced to the Hokage. The old man smiled at her as he gave her a hitai-ate. The girl jumped to hug him before speeding to Mito's side.

"Yakushi Nonō." The bespectacled young woman stepped forward fluidly, bowed to the Hokage, and proceeded to join the rest of her family – the Senju clan.

"Yamanaka Inoichi." The blonde haired mind walker, walked to the Hokage, his ponytail swaying behind him. He bowed before the Hokage, received his hitai-ate, and moved to stand beside his father.

"Shinobi." The Hokage began, all eyes gazing at him. "A shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato is one who embodies the Will of Fire – the Will to protect, to save, to serve. Each graduate of this Academy embodies that Will, and it is because of the will that we still live." He bowed his head slightly. "We have lost friends, partners and family over the past years. But, it is because of their sacrifices that we still stand." Each person in the courtyard stared firmly at the Hokage. "That is what it means to be a shinobi. To fight to your last breath protecting the kings of this nation."

Shikaku stepped forward, staring into the Hokage's eyes, before asking the question that lingered on each of his peer's minds.

"Who are the kings?"

The silence that spread across the courtyard as the Hokage mused on his answer was nearly palpable. However, an answer that would affect all future generations was supplied.

The one upper hand Konohagakure would always have over the other nations.

" _You._ "

* * *

"I'm so proud of you three." Tsunade said as she smothered the three teens before her. "Especially you, Nonō-chan." She kisses the caramel-haired girl's forehead.

"Thank you, Kaa-san." Nonō responded as she hugged Tsunade back.

"Nawaki would be proud of you." Dan said as he ruffled the boy's' hair. Their nephew truly loved his Village, and had died protecting it. He would have been delighted to have them fight by his side.

"So would your parents, and Hashirama-kun." Mito supplied as she hugged the four teens – Kushina having joined them after leaving her friend Hitomi.

Nonō smiled when she felt a hand pulling at her legs. Picking up Shizune and gazing at her, and the rest of her family, she felt pure happiness.

During her second year at the Academy, her brother, the only family she had left, had been killed by a remnant group of rebels from Sunagakure. Tsunade had found out from Naruto and Minato, and had immediately adopted the bespectacled girl. She had been allowed to keep her surname, in honour of her parents.

"Nee-chan, I want dango." Little onyx eyes stared at her begging for attention.

Unfortunately for Shizune, her sister wasn't like her weak father and uncles.

"No, Shizune-chan. Sweets are bad for you." Nonō smiled at the little girl who pouted and turned to look away.

"But we can get you some strawberries when we get home." Kushina pitched in with a large grin, causing the girl to squeal in excitement and leap into her arms.

"Yay!" The dark haired child hugged her sisters before beginning to ramble on and on about various stuff she had seen today – especially the funny looking man wearing a hat and a dress.

"Nii-san?" Minato said to his brother. He had been awfully quiet today. Although he could sense a bit of his emotions, he wanted to be certain of what he felt. "You okay?"

Naruto turned to him, his grey eyes looking lost, before the light returned to them. He blinked a few times before gazing into his brother's calm cerulean.

"It was four years ago, today."

That simple sentence sobered the rest of his family. They all bowed their heads slightly – even the new members of the family were privy to that knowledge.

Minato placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, a warm smile spreading on his face as he gazed into his brother's troubled cobalt.

"Tou-san would be proud of you, Nii-san. He was always proud of you." Minato smiled when he felt and _saw_ more light returning to those tempestuous eyes.

"You too." Naruto smiled, glad that his brother was always there for him, by his side.

As he would too.

"Come now, everyone." Mito announced, clapping twice for attention, shaking everyone out of their silent mourning. "Good. Now…"

Then she spoke the most revered, as well most forbidden words, to the Uzumaki-Senju-Namikaze family.

"Who wants ramen?"

All who witnessed it stood in awe.

Minato grabbed Kushina by the hand and disappeared a flutter of leaves. Tsunade pulled Dan and _leapt,_ leaving a crater in her wake, and her two daughters. Naruto grabbed Nonō, who had Shizune now, and disappeared in a plume of smoke.

Somehow Tōka, who had been over at the other side of the yard, had caught wind of the offer, and had grabbed Shikaku and Ensui, disappearing with them like a mirage.

Shikatsu and Hiruzen walked over to Mito who had been left behind, seemingly used to those reactions from her immediate family. Shikatsu pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up and placing it at his lips, before blowing out a puff of smoke.

"Ramen, huh?"

* * *

In a small ramen shop near the centre of the marketing district, a cacophony of various sounds was drawing attention to several people walking by. There were groans, squeals and moans escaping the building, almost as if…

"This is good~" He giggled aloud to no one in particular, a large stupid grin on his face. "This will sell far better than my last book!" He paused, contemplating between risking his life for his fans or staying away from the sexual sounds. "No pain, no gain." He shrugged.

Just as he rushed into the shop, flicking away the flaps that hid his treasure, he was forced to duck a furious fist that would have caved his skull in mere seconds.

"Tsunade!" A familiar elderly voice resounded in the small shop. "What have I said about attacking Jiraiya-kun for no reason?"

Breathing a sigh of relief as he leaned by the door, Jiraiya knew his favourite old lady had just saved him from a thrashing.

"No reason?! Baa-sama, I _know_ he was out there scribbling nonsense in one of his notebooks!" Tsunade pointed at Jiraiya indignantly, causing his to scoot further away from her – it was pointless as she turned to him. "And I will not be having that with my daughters here!" She folded her arms in anger, staring down at her friend.

"Jiraiya-kun, welcome back." Mito smiled at the man, ignoring her granddaughter. "You haven't changed a bit."

"I think I might have to leave soon if all I do here is _almost get killed!_ " Jiraiya shouted out the last part while glaring at Tsunade from the safest place in the room – behind Mito.

"Ugh…" A loud groan came from the left side of the table. A head of lavender bopped around, searching for the man, until emerald met onyx. "Jiraiya?"

"Dan?" The white haired man smiled. He hadn't seen his friend in quite some time. "I see you're still being stuffed with ramen by this one."

Dan chuckled. "You have no idea."

"I can't…eat…anymore…uhh…" Glancing to the other occupants at the desk, he saw various shades of hair – going from vermilion red to a stark white. "Why do you do this to us, baa-chan?" The redhead moaned again, sliding lazily on her chair.

Noticing it now like the metaphorical elephant in the room, Jiraiya saw the three tables that had been joined together were stacked with almost one hundred bowls – clearly they had been going all out.

"I think I'm gonna hurl." A blonde haired boy – who looked a lot like the boy he'd met years ago.

"Minato, _breathe._ " Jiraiya watched as an auburn haired bespectacled girl help the blonde boy. "Come on, we really don't have to do this all the time!" She smacked the boy's shoulder, causing him to jump in his fatigue.

"Oji-chan, I want more!" A loud child-like voice complained, causing Jiraiya to turn to it. There, where he gazed, he found a complete replica of his friend's late sister.

Shizune had been a beautiful young woman.

"Jiraiya," He heard Mito calling to him. "Saru asked to meet you at his office whenever you arrived." She informed before turning to the rest of her groaning family. "As you can see here…"

"Ah, got it." Jiraiya scratched the back of his head nervously. He'd see them some other time.

As he turned to leave, he felt a pair of slender arms wrapping around him and a sizeable bosom pushing into his chest.

"You kept your promise."

Jiraiya smiled as he turned around and wrapped his arms around his old teammate.

He was back where he truly belonged.

* * *

The stunning rays of sunshine that phased through the glass windows illuminated every inch of the room, discarding any lingering shadows of the night. There was some quiet mumbling amongst the students as they awaited their instructors.

It had been a week since graduation, each student having been given the period to prepare physically, emotionally and mentally for their intended careers.

Glancing around, Naruto watched as his friends moved about. Most of them – like himself – had completely changed their attire to match their jobs as shinobi. Turning back to his immediate friends, he dressed them down with his analytical eyes.

Shikaku wore a light green t-shirt with the Nara emblem by the shoulders and a pair of black pants and sandals. Over his shirt, he wore a deer skin coat-like jacket. He also tied his hitai-ate around his neck.

Mikoto wore a long sleeved, high-collared shirt with the Uchiha clan emblem embroidered at its back. She also wore black form-fitting pants and sandals.

Almost similar to their usual attire.

He, however, had changed his entire wardrobe. He still wore his father's midnight blue jacket with a white fur collar. Underneath, he wore a black loose-sleeved shirt that ended below his elbows, his long mesh sleeves to cover the rest of his arm. He wore dark blue, almost black, pants and black sandals. His hitai-ate was tied to his forehead, his long stark white hair contrasting its dark cloth.

The door was flung open as their instructors entered the room. These were the people that had taught them so much over their four years at the Academy. They were held especially in high regard by this group of students.

"I'd like to start by saying how truly proud I am of all of you for coming this far." Shinku begun. He wasn't much for pleasantries, anyway. "You have all exceeded our expectations of you."

Kohari stepped forward and stood beside her fellow Head Instructor – she had been given the rank because the splendid work she had done with _all_ the students in the Academy over the years.

"As of today, you'll be joining a different community – a community of cheaters, liars and killers. All forms of morality are moot in the shinobi world." Kohari's eyes were downcast for a moment, until a fire lit up once again. "However, _you_ have each other. Look around…" Each student turned to the other, smiling. "These are your comrades. _They_ are your family." She stepped back, proud of her speech and the smiles on each of her students faces – they are ready. "You will never be alone."

"Before venturing into the shinobi world as Genin, you are to be placed under the protection and guidance of superior shinobi – Jōnin." Shinku watched as his students nodded. They were aware of this, after all. "As decided years ago, your desk mates with be your teammates. Now, I will read out the teams and their leaders from now on, carrying on from the last numbered teams."

"Team Two will consist of Hyūga Hiashi, Inuzuka Tsume and Aburame Shibi. As a team of tracking experts, you shall be under the leadership of one of Konoha's top foremost trackers – Hatake Sakumo."

"Team Three will consist of Unohara Yoshino, Hyūga Hizashi and Haruno Kizashi. This heavily Taijutsu-specialising team will be lead by Maito Dai, the village's best Taijutsu expert to date."

"Team Four will consist of Namikaze Minato, Akimichi Chōza and Yamanaka Inoichi. A heavily assault and interrogation based team, you will be under the leadership of Konoha's spymaster and one of the remaining Densetsu no Sannin, Jiraiya."

"Team Five will consist of Kurama Murakumo, Hyūga Hitomi and Uzumaki Kushina. This capture and retrieve team will be led by Katō Dan, a renowned Ninjutsu and Taijutsu expert."

"Team Six will consist of Inuzuka Gaku, Yakushi Nonō and Uchiha Fugaku. This rounded team will be under the leadership of the renowned Konoha's Iryō Ninjutsu and Taijutsu specialist, Senju Tsunade."

"Team Seven will consist of Nara Shikaku, Namikaze Naruto and Uchiha Mikoto. This team will be the heavy assault of this group, and it will be under the leadership of…"

The room was silent in apprehension. They were aware, due to their advanced knowledge about their Village, that all the powerful and renowned shinobi _able_ to lead after the last war had been these five. After Orochimaru's death, the elites were down one man, too.

"…the Sandaime Hokage."

That _changed_ things.

* * *

The newly dubbed 'Team Seven' had been ordered to meet their sensei at the top of the Academy building. It felt somewhat surreal to them that they were to be under the guidance of Konoha's most powerful shinobi.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was, and would always be, a legendary shinobi.

The man had been a disciple of his father and his uncle, both who were renowned shinobi – one hailed as the most powerful man after the Rikudō Sennin, an actual _god._

A story, he remembered Tsunade telling him, about how the older man earned his title of _Shinobi no Kami_ ,would forever stay seared in his mind _._

* * *

 _Tsunade, Naruto, Minato and Nonō were walking back into the Senju main house. Some minutes earlier, they had finalised all adoption documents with the orphanage in the presence of the Sandaime Hokage._

" _Man, I'm so tired." Minato groaned as he plopped onto the nearest chair in the modernised dining hall. "That took_ way _longer than I expected."_

" _I guess that lady was quite…protective of me." Nonō supplied, her head bowing in embarrassment. Minato had almost threatened the orphanage patron to let her go._

" _Hm, I guess." Minato offhandedly leaned onto the desk. "Hey, Tsunade?"_

" _Hm?" In her hands, Tsunade was skimming through the documents she had signed earlier for any mistake. Nonō was now her legal daughter, after all._

" _What's with the old man?" Propping onto his elbows, he stared at the blond haired woman, who stared back questioningly. "You know, how did the old man earn the same title as your grandfather?"_

 _Tsunade paused._

 _It still made her nervous, even when thinking about it. That day, during the first years of the Second Shinobi War, would forever be in her mind._

" _It was during the Second Shinobi War – the second year." She began. The three pre-teens were listening attentively. "Ryōtebin no Ōnoki, the Sandaime Tsuchikage, had led a battalion to take over Takigakure – our ally." She placed the papers on the ground to fully turn to her audience. "When we received intel, Sarutobi-sensei went ahead with Kagami-sama, Jiraiya and a small force of two hundred. A few days later, Orochimaru and I arrived there in time for battle." Her eyes flickered to the left – she missed that pasty bastard._

 _The children looked slightly uncomfortable. Although they hadn't known him, Orochimaru was held in high regards by their family and the populace alike._

" _Ōnoki used his Jintōn, killing nearly sixty of our forces in one attack. And Sarutobi-sensei, in retaliation,_ bended _the elements to his advantage – something impossible for those without the respective Kekkei Genkai. During his rampage, he replicated Yōton and Shakutōn to the finest degree."_

 _Her eyes flickered to a pair of tempestuous greys, a smirk playing on her lips._

" _You would learn a thing or two from him."_

* * *

With a flutter of leaves, the wizened and most powerful shinobi Konohagakure no Sato had, Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared. Garbed in a dark brown kimono, his ebony hair with specks of grey spiked upwards, and a sharp goatee, downwards, the man smiled at the trio before him.

"Hokage-sama." The trio knelt before their leader. He was a man deserving of such respect.

"No need to be so formal, now." Hiruzen raised his arms placatingly. "I'm to be your sensei for the foreseeable future, so just call me Sarutobi-sensei, if you may."

"But Hokage-sama, if you're both our teacher and our Village leader, how will you juggle both those tasks?" Shikaku enquired, his lackadaisical drawl returning.

"It's sensei, Shikaku-kun." Hiruzen corrected calmly. "And about how I will juggle my tasks…" He placed a hand on his chin adopting a thinking pose.

The three teens stared in apprehension – they were standing before a _god,_ after all.

"I'll just do the same thing I did last time." Hiruzen smirked.

"Hai, sensei." Shikaku said, stuffing his hands into his pockets, a small smirk on his lips.

"Now." Hiruzen clapped his hands. "Take a seat, and we'll begin with introductions. To be the best working unit, teamwork is most vital – an essential part of our training. Knowledge is a solid trade in our world, too."

"How should we go about it, sensei?" Mikoto asked as she sat in the middle of her two friends. The wooden bench under them creaked slightly, causing the two boys to glance at her from the corner of their eyes.

"A demonstration perhaps…" Hiruzen hummed. "I am Sarutobi Hiruzen. I like discovering new types of tobacco, and teaching the next generation. I dislike war and everything involved. My dream…" He gazed firmly into the eyes of his audience. "Is to aid in the attainment of true peace for the shinobi world."

Peace.

Even the most powerful man they knew, the very same man who had led countless to war, sought for peace. Surmised, it showed how cruel the world they lived in was.

Peaceful men were forced to fight, and in their place, monsters were created, vengeance was craved and darkness reigned.

The older man smiled, he had caught their attention.

"Mikoto-chan, if you may?" Hiruzen beckoned, the dark haired who seemingly was lost in a trance, looked to the other two boys and shyly stared at the ground, embarrassed at being caught unaware.

"Well, my name is Uchiha Mikoto. I like training, my friends and family – especially my little brother, Shisui. I dislike war, rapists, and people who exploit others." She frowned slightly. She really disliked that trait from some members of her clan. "My dream is to become a powerful kunoichi, like Mito-sama and Tsunade-sensei."

Hiruzen smiled at the young girl – his former student had done a splendid job by becoming a powerful kunoichi. She had empowered hundreds, if not thousands of women from all nations.

"I guess it's my turn." Shikaku sighed, gazing back to his superior. "My name is Nara Shikaku. I like playing shogi with my father and Naruto here. I dislike being forced to do things without being warned beforehand. My dream is to become like my father." Shikaku scratched his temple absentmindedly. "If it isn't troublesome, I really like what he does."

Hiruzen nodded firmly. The boy was already smarter – naturally – than his father. He would be an essential shinobi in Konohagakure, alongside his cousins.

"My name is Namikaze Naruto. I like my friends, family and training. Ramen too. I dislike war, rapists and certain villages. My dream is to…" Naruto's eyes narrowed, a smirk playing on his lips. "Become the most powerful shinobi in the world."

Hiruzen nodded yet again. The white haired boy craved power – not for the wrong reasons, no. The boy was just like _him._

Just like Tobirama.

Just like Danzō.

Just like _Orochimaru_.

A dangerous warrior, a serpent ready to strike at any given moment. Territorial and protective but not incapable of emotions.

A true _shinobi._

"Splendid." Hiruzen smiled softly. "Tomorrow, we will meet at Training Ground Four – at dawn. I have a test set out for you." Then he smirked, causing the teens to look at his hesitantly.

"Hai, sensei."

In a flutter of leaves, the Sandaime Hokage returned to his office, leaving behind his new team.

* * *

With the sun just peeking on the horizon, the three new members of Team Seven were occupying Training Ground Four was known for – two of them near the three stumps the field was known for.

Shikaku was still yawning, barely awake, but on his feet. Mikoto was running around the field, jogging – an exercise she claimed to do daily. Naruto was seated near a stump, his legs crossed, and posture straight, in a meditating pose.

Last night, after returning home, Naruto had turned to Tsunade, and her friend, Jiraiya. When he'd asked about what kind of test his team would get, Tsunade had merely smirked, then chuckled, while Jiraiya guffawed himself to tears – apparently, his new sensei had done the same thing to his old team.

Just as Mikoto was about to pass them – completing her _ninth_ round – a flutter of leaves signalled the arrival of their sensei.

The man, who was nearing fifty – an age _unattainable_ by standard shinobi – stood sturdy, his shorter than average stature more imposing than the tallest of Kumogakure shinobi. Still garbed in a simple brown kimono, Hiruzen crossed his arms as he looked down at his students.

"Good morning." He smiled as the three teens immediately stood in a straight line. "Come now, I'm not the Hokage now, only your sensei." Hiruzen almost regretted it when Shikaku slouched slightly and Mikoto crossed her arms, an irritated look marring her delicate features.

"You're late, sensei." Punctuality. Punctuality was something Mikoto valued greatly – her father had taught her about it.

A nervous and hesitant look appeared on Hiruzen's face – the girl reminded him so much of a younger Tsunade.

"Ah, well…" He tried coming up with an excuse, but he knew they wouldn't buy it. "I'm old?"

He knew he'd made a mistake when Naruto smirked.

"Not so _little_ now, are you, _Saru_?" Naruto's smirk widened when he saw his sensei pale slightly, most probably shocked that he knew _that_ title.

His father hadn't hidden anything from him.

Hiruzen attempted to regain his bearings, but his efforts were shattered when Shikaku chuckled while Mikoto giggled. Apparently, the title was still hilarious, even to those who didn't know if it's origin.

Clearing his throat and broadening his shoulders, the effect was immediate. The chuckles and giggles faded, and in return, warriors-in-training stood before him, determined.

"Now, this task I am about to give you will challenge you physically and mentally. A shinobi's body is only as strong as it's mind." Hiruzen reached into his kimono and pulled out three bells attached to three red strings. They jingled, their sound following the calm autumn breeze.

"Why three bells?" Shikaku asked, his eyes narrowed, attempting to discern the goal of this test.

"Ah, I see you have heard of the bell test." Hiruzen chuckled as he attached the bells to his waist. "Unfortunately, this isn't the same test."

Naruto nodded. He had heard about this particular test in passing when Tsunade had mentioned her days as a Genin. The goal of the test was to snatch _two_ bells from the sensei through teamwork. Those who managed or failed to obtain the bells through teamwork would pass, while those who failed to show an semblance of teamwork at all, would fail. It was unfair to new teammates who barely knew each other, but they had that advantage.

Unfortunately, nothing stayed unexploited in the shinobi world.

"The aim of this test is to _take_ these bells from me using everything you have learned in and outside the Academy." He smirked, scaring the teens before him. "Better come with the intent to maim or kill, because I will be retaliating." The teens froze as they listened to the rules of engagement.

 _Steal_ from the _Shinobi no Kami_? Impossible.

But Naruto smirked.

He was _tailored_ for the impossible.

"You have until noon." Hiruzen raised his right arm, and moved his left to his back. "Hajime!" Swinging down in a cutting motion, the Genin disappeared into the woods.

* * *

Hiding in the green-blue foliage which matched with his attire, he watched as his sensei propped himself on top of a stump and sat cross-legged. The man fished into his kimono, and pulled out a pale yellow-orange covered book – he swore he had seen that book before.

He wasn't convinced in the slightest that the man was unaware of his surroundings.

Naruto sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes. He first attempted to gauge his sensei's power and regretted it immediately. He cursed when he was flushed out by the _ocean._

The man's chakra pool was _massive_ – the only other two pools larger than his sensei's were his aunt, and his father.

Opting for the second option – the first being to act as a distraction for his teammates to attack – he closed his eyes and searched for his friends. Over the years, his sensing ability had grown. With great focus, he could sense the strongest affinities within everyone.

East and South-East. Perfect.

With a perfect manipulation of his chakra, Naruto disappeared via a leaf _Shunshin._

* * *

' _He's_ reading _? Of all things?!'_

Suffice to say, Mikoto was infuriated.

When the test had begun, she and her friends had scattered at the signal – Shikaku had predicted that a signal from their sensei would be the beginning of their plan.

' _Screw the plan!'_ Reaching into her weapon's pouch, she pulled out three shuriken, and was about to throw them until she felt a strong hand holding her arm, stopping her.

Twisting around the arm, she snatched a kunai and attempted to stab her attacker, and she was stopped yet again. Sharp greys stared back into her onyx, freezing her in her spot.

"Stay alert, Mikoto." Naruto smirked as the dark haired girl glared at him. "The first plan is a bust, we need Shikaku."

Mikoto sighed deeply. How were they supposed to defeat _the_ shinobi?

"Sarutobi-sensei knows where we are – my father once told me that he was a good sensor." Naruto nodded in agreement. He had heard a similar story from Tsunade. "I'll distract him while you get to Shikaku. We _can't_ lose him."

Naruto disappeared in a flicker while Mikoto reached for three more shuriken and hurled them from hiding place – which was to the far left of her sensei. She sped through hand seal and muttered.

" _ **Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**_ The six shuriken multiplied to twelve, cutting dangerously through the air towards her sensei.

The man was _still_ paging through that damn book!

Suddenly, within a blink of an eye, her weapons cut through a log, the _unassuming_ man having disappeared from the tree stump.

' _Damn it!'_ She cursed mentally as she leapt from her hiding place – she had been found. As she flipped into an open section of the field, she waited for the older man to reach the area.

Hiruzen dropped to the ground from the trees and landed soundlessly. He watched as the girl before him parted her legs and held up her arms, one raised as a fist, while the other was pulled back into an open palm.

A bastardised version of the Gōken.

"Taijutsu then." He muttered as he put away his novel. Despite the younger girl's stature, she had somewhat grasped his old friend's personal fighting style.

It was _very_ damaging.

Mikoto leapt off and swung her left leg, which was caught by Hiruzen. The girl pulled her leg free and flipped away from her sensei, her dangerous bloody red eyes staring at the man.

' _I didn't even see him move!'_

While she had launched her attack, she had watched her sensei with her pair of two tomoe Sharingan eyes. The man hadn't moved but he had _caught_ her leg.

He was faster than her Sharingan.

With chakra enhancing her limbs for faster mobility, Mikoto leapt again and threw her right arm. Hiruzen caught the arm firmly with his left hand and blocked a kick with his left shin. The girl winced as she tried to duck and sweep at his legs, only for him to leap into the air. Reaching into her pouch, she threw five shuriken at the air-bound man, only to hit a wooden log yet again. She quickly rolled forward, escaping a powerful stomp that cracked the barren earth and flipped into the air.

' _Shit!'_

Hearing the sound of weapons cutting through the air, she flew into her own sequence of seals, aiding her teammates.

" _ **Katōn: Gōkakyū!"**_ Mikoto took in a deep breath and blew out a fireball nearly twice her height which burnt everything in sight – the grass and the weapons her sensei had launched.

Her sensei – although she couldn't see – smiled. His friend's daughter was taking strides in becoming like her father.

" _ **Dōton: Doryūheki!**_ " As the wall of mud rose, he felt it approaching faster than he had expected. The fireball smashed into the wall, casting a large shadow above and around him. As he tried moving to the left, he felt his body immobilised – unable to move any part of his body.

He smirked at the creativity – this had been planned well.

" _ **Kagemane,**_ success." Shikaku commanded from as he neared the Hokage, hoping to strengthen his hold.

He was under no illusions that he had trapped his sensei – and he was proven right the next moment when Naruto _blurred_ with a sparkling sword in his hand and cut a wooden log in half.

They had decided to attempt to maim or wound their sensei first to make it easier to steal the bells later, but it was proving quite troublesome.

"Shikaku!" The shadow manipulator jumped away at his friends signal, who sped to his former position, his sword already swinging.

Hiruzen blocked the oncoming attack with a kunai. He had intended to capture Shikaku, and drag him into the ground, but it seemed Naruto was a far better sensor than he expected. A grinding sound alerted him and he glanced at the at Raijin no Ken _cutting_ through his kunai.

Flicking his leg, he kicked Naruto's ribs, causing the boy to fly backwards, flipping on the ground. Hiruzen ducked from a kick aimed at his head courtesy of Mikoto. He palmed the girl's chest quickly and flipped backwards to create distance between himself and Shikaku's shadow.

" _ **Fūton: Daitoppa!**_ " Naruto took a deep breath and blew out fierce winds towards Hiruzen.

" _ **Katōn: Ryūka!**_ " Deciding to assist her teammate, Mikoto spewed out a dragon made of fire. It combined with the strong winds and grew larger than it had been before.

Hiruzen watched the combined attack approach him, and he couldn't help but smile. Even when faced with a nigh impossible task, his new team had performed far better than he expected.

He knew that they wouldn't manage to take the bells from him today, but in the very near future, they would.

" _ **Sūiton: Mizurappa!**_ "

Sarutobi Hiruzen would _make_ legends out of them.

* * *

 **Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Justu -Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique:** A-rank, Offensive; The user creates up to a thousand shadow clones from one shuriken, striking down the enemy. This is a technique that combines ninja tools with ninjutsu. Compared to normal shadow clones, clones of material objects are said to be on a far higher level. There is no need for preparations beforehand, like stocking up on shuriken, or kunai, yet since the shadow clones are real and not illusions, all the shadow blades that fly around are equally lethal. Because the clones form in just an instant, completely evading them is next to impossible. This technique can also be used on fūma shuriken, increasing its lethality.

 **Katōn: Gōkakyū – Fire Release: Fireball Technique:** C-rank, Offensive; A technique where the chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire and expelled from the mouth, either as a massive sphere or as a continuous flamethrower. The released flames will engulf their target, and is capable of leaving a crater in the ground's surface. The scope of this attack is altered by controlling the volume of chakra that is mustered.

 **Dōton: Doryūheki – Earth Release: Earth Wall:** B-rank, Defensive; The user creates a solid wall of earth as a form of defence. Chakra is either converted to earth within the body and then spat out to form the wall or the user can manipulate pre-existing earth to form the wall. The earth then instantly rises and takes form.

 **Kagemane no Jutsu – Shadow Possession Technique:** C-rank, Offensive; The user extends their shadow on any surface and as far as they want, as long as there is sufficient area. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements. Therefore, the two can throw shuriken at each other at the same time if the user desires that. If the target is out of range, the user can produce a better source of light to increase their shadow's size, or rely on pre-existing shadows for their shadow to freely travel through. It is also possible to split one's shadow, either to trap more opponents at once, or to create a distraction.

 **Fūton: Daitoppa – Wind Release: Great Breakthrough:** C-rank, Offensive; If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. The technique can also be used in the form of a devastating stream of wind expelled from the user's mouth. There is also a variation of the technique involves a smaller blast of wind which gets ignited with flame.

 **Katōn: Ryūka – Fire Release: Flame Dragon Technique:** B-rank, Offensive; The user breathes fire along a cord or any other type of long object, which rushes forward in a straight line catching the enemy on fire. A line of enemies can be used as the conductor as well. The flames are meant to target, and assault the enemy's upper body.

 **Sūiton: Mizurappa – Water Release: Wild Water Wave:** C-rank, Offensive; The user moulds chakra in their mouths into water and fires a stream of condensed water at their target. The range, speed, and power is dependent on how much chakra is used. Can be strengthened by various different means such as introducing another element.


End file.
